ShadowWalkers
by jasderoanddavid5012
Summary: Alfred was separated from everything he knew and loved. An attack by monsters that stalk the land has left him with few memories of the past. But now he hunts monsters beside monsters. There's Ivan the Werewolf, Francis the Vampire, and Arthur the demon. These four unlikely allies now find themselves fighting a horde of monsters with an evil purpose, and their evil master.
1. Black Past White Heart

**Hey! jasderoanddavid5012 (good god that's a mouthful -_-") here again. Here we go again. Another new story. Usually, I wouldn't start one, especially considering I've never finished one on this site before, but this one was a special request that I just found again. I needed to do this one, and I never got around to it. A friend of mine asked me to write him a Hetalia Fan Fiction, and I said I would. The problem is, I promised him that, never started it, and he died in a car accident.**

**So out of fond memories, I've decided to make him this story. I didn't really know what he wanted. He never told me other than "Hetalia: UsUK". So I didn't know what to do. I wanted to try and make a horror story, but I'm better at Fantasy, so that's what this is. I hope you enjoy and you'll wait patiently for me to update my stories.**

Chapter One: Black Past White Heart

_Alfred's resilience had always surprised everyone. He just seemed unable to stop even for a moment. Oh, everyone called him dumb, but he wasn't. He was unmistakably bright. He could figure anything out, given enough time. He could read people. He could learn almost anything by simply watching. He was amazingly resilient. He only acted like a fool. He was a rather mischievous boy. If he was out of sight for a moment, he was always doing something. But most people just thought it was expected. He and his twin brother Matthew were orphans. While Matthew was sweet and could win the hearts of anyone he met, Alfred seemed a little mean spirited. But he wasn't really. He was a sweet child. And everyone in town knew it. They were just a little fed up with him today._

_Alfred had jumped the fence once again into Gilbert's yard and begun bothering little Ludwig. He didn't understand why he wouldn't come play with him because Gilbert wouldn't let him. He didn't understand that they were so close. Matthew warned him that it was not right, and then the older brother of the two came out and ran Alfred off. _

_The two twins went out to the forest. Matthew knew Alfred hadn't meant anything by it. He was just tired of everything. He didn't want to be so alone. The towns people were talking about shutting their orphanage down. And if that happened, they wouldn't have anywhere to go._

_Alfred could remember some of what was being said. He could remember some of the names and faces of people from the town too. But most of his past life was a blur. He was a little saddened by it. He knew that they all thought he was dead, and he wandered if they missed him as much as he missed them. But he couldn't go back. He didn't even remember how to get back. Try as he might, he could remember nothing. What had happened next had made sure of that._

_He remembered getting mad at Matthew. Something about that if the orphanage was taken down he would be fine because everyone loved him. Matthew cried and told him that he would be okay, and that everyone liked him too. But Alfred didn't want to believe him. Time passed. Alfred couldn't remember much of it. But he remembered the monsters. He remembered telling Matthew to run. They did run, down the path away from the horrible beast that was chasing them. A Werewolf. But it had a pack with it. He just remembered running. Screaming for everyone to take cover. The whole town was in chaos soon after._

_He remembered people screaming and running. He remembered pulling Matthew to his feet when he fell. He remembered someone grabbing them and pulling them out of the way. But there was so much chaos, that even if Alfred could have remembered, he doubted he would have understood what was going on. The next thing he remembered was being separated from Matthew and the woman who had been trying to save them. He couldn't remember her face, but he knew he knew her. Then one of them hit him. They hit him hard. His head hit the wall. He thought his skull cracked, maybe some other bones too. There was blood everywhere. But he didn't feel pain. Something was wrong and he knew it. After that, there wasn't much of anything. _

_But he did see Matthew crying, calling out to him. He was completely scared, surrounded by danger. And heartbroken. Alfred wasn't sure, but he knew that he hated to see that. He hated to see how his brother had been hurt. Because he thought he was dying. That put only a single thought into his mind. He couldn't die. Not now. Because he wanted to see Matthew smile again._

_He couldn't remember that smile. But he knew he loved it all the same. He had to live. It was that resiliency that let him live. He knew he had to see his brother again. No doubt he would be older. No doubt he would be different. But he was alive and Alfred knew he had to see him. And that was where they had found him, broken as the creatures left. There were dead people everywhere. Dead and dying. But this small boy was neither. And so, they took him with them._

Them being this strange crew of, well, what could he really call them? Alfred had lived with them, trained with them, for Seven Years, and he still didn't know. He was sixteen now, handsome and tall. His hair had grown back since his injury, and he looked the same as he had then, only taller, more cunning, and his blue eyes had turned icy. It was because this group fought the monsters, with monsters. Alfred was human. But he was a special human. He had become as fast as a vampire, and he could fight one too. He could kill any evil thing he had to. And he was one of a select few humans that could tame demons. If you could call it taming...

Most demons, like Arthur, simply refused to listen to anyone. And Arthur was worse because he could shape shift. Usually between a human and a white horse. But catching him had been the problem. He was a young demon, easily tamed. But he was like Alfred. He didn't want to listen to anyone he couldn't relate to him. So, against Fracis' warnings, Alfred got into the pen with the spirited colt. He got kicked a few times, but he kept standing up. It surprised Arthur. Most humans wouldn't have been able to move after he hit him. But Alfred seemed only curious. He talked to the demon and told him of what he knew of his past. Whether Arthur had a similar past or he felt sorry for him, he finally let Alfred stroke his muzzle. Then raced off again to the other end of the pen to watch the boy. He came forward several more times, and at last, when Francis returned to try and get Alfred out. He let the boy crawl onto his back.

He could still remember how strong, even with how small he still was, the demon was. He kicked and spun and raced onwards like the wind, and yet Alfred knew he wasn't trying to throw him off, only show him his joy at being free. Alfred found it easy to stay on his back. And he enjoyed it. He thought about ignoring Francis when he called, but he didn't want to test the Vampire. Week after week, they spoke and then before he knew it, Alfred realized that he had tamed the demon. He would let no one else touch him, and he even let him ride him. They became good friends, though they often disagreed. And Arthur grew too. He was a tall, white horse, full of power and muscle. And Alfred still enjoyed racing over the fields on his back.

Alfred sighed. He was thinking about his past again...or at least, the giant hole that was his past. He couldn't ignore it much longer. It was bugging him again. Arthur was close by, in his enormous horse form and gnawing at grass even though he really wasn't eating it. He raised his great head and looked at Alfred, ears pricking forward again. Then he brushed his nuzzle up against his chest.

"_You've got that sad face again."_ Arthur said, though really only through Alfred's mind. _"Don't worry. We'll find out about your past eventually, and we'll find them."_

"How can you always tell exactly what I'm thinking?" Alfred asked, stroking his muzzle.

"_I don't really." _Arthur replied. _"I just know you well. You hear my voice in your head, but we can't really read each other's minds. It confuses people."_

"It still confuses me." Alfred replied with a small smile.

"_I know you miss your friends, even if you can't remember them." _Arthur said. _"It had to have been hard for all of you to part that way. But I'm sure they're fine. And you're getting better at remembering things now. Like Ivan. You remembered about him."_

"Yeah." Alfred sighed. "We lived in the same village. He was only a little older than me and had a younger sister. But he got bitten by a Werewolf and turned. He didn't know where to go but he didn't want to leave me with Francis either. So he came along. He's a great fighter now too."

"_He's helping you to remember, little by little." _Arthur said. _"It's good for you to remember."_

"Do you really think I'll find them?" Alfred asked. Arthur huffed a little impatiently and nudged his face firmly but gently with his muzzle.

"_Of course you will." _Arthur replied. _"Humans have a strange ability to bump into one another again and again, even when everyone thinks it should be impossible."_

"You're such a silly demon..." Alfred replied. Arthur didn't respond other than to lay down and lay his head into Alfred's lap. Alfred stroked the demon's head. It was a little strange to think about it, but they both knew it was true. They had fallen in love: a human and a demon. A forbidden love. And yet it was still love.

Alfred sighed again, but a little more contently now. Strange. That was the word that summed up everything that had happened to him. Being and orphan. Surviving a Werewolf attack. Being raised partly by a Werewolf he had hardly known from before. Being trained to fight monsters by a monster, a vampire. Taming a demon. Falling in love with that demon. It was a strange life alright. But he still wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Alfred looked up. He had heard someone call his name. It was Ivan. That was impossible to miss. He was in his human form now, but he still stood out from other humans. He was tall and had broad shoulders. He was hard to handle in this form. Where Alfred had blonde hair, Ivan had pure white hair, like snow. And his eyes were lavender. No one could mistake them as being related. There were too many differences. Then when he turned into a Werewolf he was still different. He was a large, pure white wolf. He could be mistaken as an Alpha wolf. That's how large he was. Though he had nearly perfect control over his beastly instincts, he was still a fearsome looking creature. And one you wouldn't want to mess with.

Ivan knelt by Alfred and smiled at him. Alfred smiled a little back. He hadn't known much about Ivan before, but he had taken good care of him after their strange misadventure. He was like an older brother to him, even if he was a Werewolf. Arthur didn't greet the Werewolf either way. Partly because he had come into the pen where they had kept him as an untamed demon several times to get Alfred and snapped at him. He didn't like him that much. But Alfred did, so he didn't try and run him off.

"How are you?" Ivan asked.

"I'm fine. A little nervous though." Alfred replied.

"Yeah, it's your first time going out with us to hunt isn't it?" Ivan asked, smiling patiently.

"No it's not that." Alfred replied. "I've just got a weird feeling. It's not a bad feeling. Just a feeling. Like something's going to happen."

"You said that too, or something like that, the day those Werewolves came." Ivan said, once again taking the opportunity to try and get Alfred to remember something. "Do you remember that?"

"No..." Alfred replied. Ivan didn't seem put out. This was a ritual they had been doing for seven years. He wouldn't force it on him. He just smiled patiently again.

"Well you did." Ivan said. "You said you felt like something bad was going to happen. Gilbert responded by whacking you on the head. Next time I saw you, you had a pack of Werewolves on your heals."

"That sounds lovely." Alfred said, smiling a little.

"Well, we'll be leaving soon. We're going to Herbert. Do you know the town?"

"No...well...wait...maybe..." Alfred replied, some distant memory tugging at him.

"It was the town next to ours." Ivan explained. "You should remember. Anyway, neither of us have been near that area in seven years. Maybe we'll see some people."

"And you're okay with them seeing you how you are now?" Alfred asked.

"Eh," Ivan replied, shrugging. "They'll have to find out eventually. There's a lot of monster activity in that area. Francis thinks it might be better to just evacuate the whole area."

"Because they'll like that idea."

"We have to do what we have to do." Ivan replied with a smile.

"True enough." Alfred sighed. Arthur suddenly shifted and raised his head, snorting at the Werewolf.

"_And where is the Vampire now?" _The demon snorted. _"Feeding again? He'll get fat."_

"What an unkind thing to say." a voice replied. Alfred turned to look, to find Francis sitting behind him in the grass. He winced without meaning to, which made Arthur snort angrily at the vampire. Francis quickly backed away rather than inviting the wrath of the demon.

"I told you not to sneak up on us." Ivan growled a little at him. He had never liked being near the Vampire, though he knew that he wasn't going to hurt anyone.

"Sorry, sorry." Francis replied. The Vampire was tall, pale and his fangs were strangely obvious. He had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He hadn't seemed to age at all since Alfred first met him. Francis was the man -for he had at one time been a human- that had started this group nearly a century earlier. He called them the ShadowWalker Clan. They took in anyone that had grudges against those monsters that proved themselves to be evil -for not every monster obviously was evil- and could be trained to fight them. And he was a master at training everyone he could. "I'll make more noise next time. Alfred, could you get Arthur to settle down? He's giving me a rather nasty look, and I'd rather not be charged by an angry demon."

"Easy." Alfred told Arthur, patting the horse's side. Arthur was standing now, pawing the ground. Arthur paused a moment. "Easy Arthur." Arthur at last snorted and turned around, gnawing on grass again but still listening.

"Thank you." Francis replied, perfectly happy. "Well, we're going to Herbert as you know. Alfred, you might just meet some people from your old life. It'll just be the four of us here going."

"I thought you said there was a lot of monster activity happening there?" Ivan asked.

"There is." Francis replied. "But don't worry. We'll be more than enough. There's a group of Vampires in this particular village, terrorizing the humans. They haven't done much damage yet, and they're not organized. And we'll have to leave before the undead hunters appear. But we should get out in plenty of time. And, they like to gamble, with horse races." Arthur's head instantly came up.

"_No way." _He snorted. _"I'm NOT a horse."_

"But they're racing fire mares." Francis said. Everyone paused. Fire mares were beautiful horse beasts that were easily tamed. But they were fast, and left scorching hoof prints wherever they went. "And of course, the track is very difficult. The riders often fight each other. Alfred would do fine. He may not be able to keep up with a running vampire, but he can fight just as quickly as a vampire. And with his knives and his bow and arrow he should be fine. But Arthur if you don't think you can outrun a few fire mares then I guess we can't try it."

"_I can outrun those ponies." _Arthur snorted angrily. _"I'm a demon."_

"Good, then you'll do it."

"_Of course."_

"But wait." Ivan said. "You said they like to gamble."

"I did." Francis said. "We're gambling us. They don't mind having humans or Vampires, and most Vampires would jump at the chance to kill a Werewolf. They'll take it."

"And if anyone we know is there?" Ivan asked. "What then? Do you really think they'll just let us risk our necks to save them?"

"They'll have to." Francis said.

"Whatever." Alfred yawned. "It's fine. Arthur can beat them. So lets go."

"Well...okay..." Ivan said.

"Well it's all settled then." Francis said, clapping his hands together. It was a deceptive act. He seemed like an airhead, a Vampire you could defeat. But everyone in the ShadowWalker Clan knew better, much better. "Let's head out. Ivan, change forms for me, and Alfred, get on Arthur's back. You won't keep up otherwise."

They all stood to obey. Arthur hated to be ordered around by anyone. He only listened to Alfred because he liked him. But he was too excited about the chance to prove that he was faster than fire mares to say anything. Ivan snarled, instantly changing. His long white coat became fur, thick and covering his whole body. He grew larger, almost to the size of a battle tank. Alfred checked his weapons. He had his bow and his arrows slung across his back, and all of his knives -27 in all- strapped out of sight on his person. Then when he was sure they were all secure, he climbed onto Arthur's back.

Like so many times before, they two of them instantly felt a connection. It was as if an electric jolt ran through both of them. Like a wild mustang, Arthur pawed the ground, ready to be off and running. Alfred patted the demon's strong neck, assuring him that they would be leaving soon. Arthur seemed strangely savage, and Alfred looked strange on his back. Fragile, and yet strong. Evil and yet good. And savage and yet kind. He seemed like a warrior, at home, and yet there was kindness in his eyes. They were a strange pair indeed.

Francis looked the three of them over, as if appraising them with his calculating eyes. Then he nodded to himself, and turned. He took off at a dead run, passing over ground quickly like a strange specter. Ivan took off after him, bounding effortlessly away. The two of them seemed graceful, strangely magnificent. And Alfred could understand why humans both loved and feared these races. Arthur pawed the ground again, and Alfred tightened his legs and grabbed a hold of Arthur's mane to steady himself. As soon as he was secure, he bounded away, his hooves pounding on the ground as if his every movement was smooth and effortless. He was fast, and within moments, he fell in beside Francis and Ivan, fearless in their presence. Alfred could feel it between his legs, the will to run, and the ability to go faster, much faster.

Arthur wore no saddle and accepted no bit. No one could tell him where to run. He was free, and Alfred was struck once again with gratitude that the demon had decided to share his freedom with him: a human. Alfred wondered again why the demon had announced to the human that he had fallen in love with him. It seemed to make no sense. He had all of the freedom in the world, and yet he had tethered himself to one place, because he loved him? Why would he fall in love with him? A boy who couldn't even remember all of his past? It was a complete mystery. And yet, Arthur himself was a mystery. Alfred remained silent, leaning in close to the horse's body as it pounded the ground away beneath him quickly, feeling his rhythm. A few times, his chest would brush the horse's shoulders. It always excited Arthur when they touched like this. There was something strangely intimate about it.

A trip that would have normally taken hours took only a few minutes. Enough so that Alfred didn't feel any tiredness or stiffness in his limbs at all. And he knew that even running as hard as he had been, that Arthur was no where near tired. However, when Francis finally stopped him, Arthur still worried over Alfred quietly. If he was too tired to race, then he would fall off. And that would be deadly for such a fragile body. But Alfred assured him that he was alright, and Arthur was satisfied. He knew that Alfred didn't lie to him. Ivan walked over, panting to Alfred reassuringly.

"_It's going to be tough." _The Werewolf said. _"Will you be ready for this?"_

"Life is tough." Alfred replied. "I'm ready. But do you think anyone we know is here?"

"_Many of them. I can already scent them." _Ivan replied. _"They'll probably be forced to watch the races. They make humans race on normal horses so they can tear them apart. I hope no one we know is out there."_

"The race is already probably full." Alfred reassured him. "We'll just take their place."

"Alright you three." Francis called. "Let's go. It'll start soon."

Without letting Alfred slip off of his back, Arthur turned and followed Francis at a walk, trying to make himself look as much like a normal horse as possible. It certainly wasn't hard. He looked like a normal horse. Only his speed and his ferociousness gave him away. Ivan followed close behind. They followed the path, noting that the town was deserted. Everyone was watching the races. The road finally ended. And there was huge track. People lined the streets, and Vampires watched them. Three humans were nervously lined up on horses in the starting gate. There were twelve racers in all. Alfred and Ivan both recognized the three humans a people they recognized.

One was tall and burly with blue eyes and blonde hair combed back over his head. One was shorter, with brown eyes that were nervous and brown hair. The last one was Matthew. Alfred could still remember him. He had longer blonde hair than him, and the same blue eyes. He looked incredibly sad. But Ivan wasted no time. He snarled and sprung forward, making the normal horses scream in terror, wheeling away and carrying their startled riders with them. Several Vampires jumped forward, slightly confused. But Ivan wisely retreated, and Francis stepped forward, patting the snarling Werewolf's side.

"Easy Ivan." Francis said. At that name, several humans looked up. Alfred dimly recognized all of their faces. "Sorry about that. Must have seen someone he recognized. He used to be human."

"Who the hell are you?" A vampire snarled. Alfred didn't even bother to try and remember what he looked like. He wouldn't be here long. But he was mounted a fire mare.

"Oh?" Francis asked. "How rude. Manors aren't what they used to be. Oh well. The name's Francis." A Vampire glanced at Alfred and snarled.

"And the kid?" he asked. The humans looked and gasped. They could certainly recognize him.

"Alfred." Francis replied. Then he addressed the humans. "He is who you think he is. You're not dreaming. And we'll explain everything later. He's got a bit of amnesia, so don't feel put out if he doesn't know you." then he winked at Ivan. "I've done this quite a lot actually." Ivan rolled his eyes.

"You're all together?" the first Vampire asked. "And I take it you want the boy to race?" The humans that knew Alfred all began to cry out at once, to warn him, and Alfred knew Matthew's voice was in the din. "Shut up!" The Vampire snarled.

"The answer to both questions is yes." Francis smiled. "And of course, we've come to gamble. If you can outrun this uh...horse...then you can have the four of us. If not, you'll have to let the humans go." There was suddenly silence.

"That horse?" The Vampire asked.

"Go take a look at him if you want. But I advise you to stay back. There's a reason that he doesn't wear a saddle or have a bit." Francis replied with a smile. One of the Vampires carefully came forward. He eyed Arthur suspiciously, but he looked normal to him. Then he looked up at Alfred.

Arthur didn't like that. He angrily tossed his head and reared up, bringing his front hooves down on the Vampire's arm -who was at least smart enough to try and move- snapping it in two. The Vampire yelped in surprise as he felt the bone give. It was extremely hard to break a Vampire's bone, and no normal horse could do it. He stumbled back, darting out of the way to avoid Arthur's rage again. Alfred pulled back on Arthur's mane to silently tell him to stop. Arthur snorted and tossed his head, pawing the ground angrily. Alfred patted his neck again.

"Well I did warn you..." Francis said with a polite smile.

"T-that's no horse!" the injured Vampire snarled. "That's a demon!" Again there was silence.

"A Vampire, a Werewolf and a human that rides a demon?" The first Vampire snarled. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh?" Francis asked, a cruel smile playing on his face. "We're from the ShadowWalker Clan." The Vampires all hissed at the words.

"You're with them?" The Vampire growled. "That group? They're a group of freaks that destroy monsters."

"Freaks. That's not nice." Francis said, ignored the astonished humans. "But yes, we're with them. And we only fight monsters like yourselves who had gotten a bit too...ah...overexcited. In fact, I am the leader of that group of freaks. I have been for almost a century. So this is a formal invitation from the leader of the ShadowWalkers to race this demon. He won't disappoint you."

"A chance to take your group out forever?" the Vampire asked. "I'd be a fool to not take you up. Alright boy, get to the starting gate."

"Why are you telling me?" Alfred asked. "It's not like I can make him go anywhere."

Arthur pawed at the ground angrily again and then stepped into the starting gate. The lights of the city were beginning to come on, and the streetlights were flickering on. But Alfred wouldn't need his eyes. He had trained in pitch darkness too long for that. And Arthur didn't need the light. The darkness was his domain. Arthur snorted and pawed at the ground again, silently. Neither of them had been in a race. He knew that the Vampires were eying him suspiciously, and the humans were watching him nervously.

"Alright, the track is straight forward." a vampire said. "It goes through the canyons. Then it goes back. I hope your boy can last that long."

"_How fast should I go?" _Arthur asked.

"Let's show them speed." Alfred replied quietly. "We're here to win. And fire mares are fast. Besides, we might have to kill everyone just to win." Arthur acknowledged his response with a toss of his head.

Silence suddenly fell, like a weight. Ivan yawned as if he knew there was no way that they could lose, though really he was scared for Alfred. Francis smiled. Slowly, Alfred leaned forward, gripping the mane of the demon and his sides with his legs. Arthur felt the jolt again and reared up snorting angrily and pawing at the ground. There was no way he would let these Vampires hurt Alfred. And besides. He was definitely faster than fire mares.

The gates opened. The horses all sprung forward, easily bounding away. If the Vampires had hoped to try and kill Alfred right out of the gate, they were mistaken. Arthur did indeed show them speed. Alfred made staying on the demon seem effortless, but it was hard with that first jolt. The Vampires kicked their steeds to get them to run faster to catch the demon. But Arthur was already out of the gate and he wasn't stopping anytime soon. Within moments, the racers were out of sight of the spectators.

All hell broke loose. One fire mare suddenly collapsed as its heart burst, and another tripped over something and fell screaming. The others all plunged wildly ahead. One Vampire pulled out a knife to strike at Alfred, but he saw her, and he pulled out his own knife and buried it in her forehead before she understood that he could even move as quickly as she could. She fell off, and without her rider, the fire mare sprung easily ahead.

Two more Vampires sprung to attack, but they had reached the canyon, and Arthur leaped upwards and landed on the wall of the canyon at a nearly 90 degree angle with the ground. Alfred wasted no time, pulling out his bow and killing the two startled Vampires. But Arthur had much more agility than the fire mares, and more abilities. He leaped again off of the wall, landing on one of the fire mares and his rider and jumping away again. The last three all ran forward. Alfred glanced back. The walls of the canyon were closing into a single mouth. Soon it would only allow one rider through at a time. But the vampires weren't giving an inch to one another. They all pulled out knives, trying to hit Alfred. But he pulled out two knives and blocked their blades. Suddenly, two of the riders screamed as their horses were knocked backwards and suddenly only one was left. At these speeds even vampires would die from hitting the ground.

The last vampire sprung forward. But Alfred was suddenly startled as Arthur changed into his human form. He knew because suddenly he wasn't sitting on anything, and he felt arms wrap around his waist. The Vampire gasped, trying to pull up as she realized the danger she was in from the shape shifter. A demon was bad, but a shape shifter was worse. Arthur carefully pulled Alfred into his arms, carrying him bride style gently. He was afraid of dropping him, and he knew that if he hit the ground going this fast that he wouldn't survive. Alfred simply remained still. Arthur was an oddly beautiful human, and like most shape shifters, he was wearing clothes in his human form, they simply changed into something else in his other form. He had blonde hair and sparkly green eyes. But he had strange eyebrows, and so he hated being in his human form. But Alfred was suddenly reminded again of how handsome he was.

Arthur hit the wall and launched into the air, plowing straight into the Vampire and her steed. They both fell screaming to the ground, and Arthur landed on the ground, absorbing the bone shattering impact in his knees. Then he tossed Alfred back into the air and changed forms again. Alfred gripped the mane of the horse tightly as he raced off to pass the checkpoint, a single lamp post in the canyon that marked where a river had once run. The walls here were stained with blood, sad reminders of the humans who had once made it this far. Arthur carefully turned around in the confined space and then bounded off again just as quickly.

On their way back, they passed over and around dead horses and riders alike. Those fire mares that were still alive were calmly eating the scorched grass and not bothering to finish the race they had started. Alfred gave Arthur a pat on his neck. They were both getting tired now. And the move Arthur had done was extremely dangerous. But Alfred trusted Arthur. And Arthur felt a little honored by that trust.

They burst back into the city with a clatter of hooves and gasps from the human onlookers. Alfred saw Matthew look up from behind his hands, tears in his eyes. Arthur reared up, boxing at the air and neighing angrily. He was heaving like a pair of billows, but he was still angry and ready to challenge anyone. Ivan sighed a little. Francis simply smiled and turned to the few remaining Vampires, who were completely startled.

"Well, I suppose that means we win." Francis replied. "Now for the messy job. Ivan if you would."

An instant later, a howling Werewolf had sprung onto the Vampires. The battle was a short one. Though Ivan was outnumbered, his great size and weight made it impossible for the Vampires to escape. He did receive a nasty wound on his shoulder though. He returned, snarling, to Francis, who carefully inspected the wound.

"Well that's done." Francis smiled. "And that wound's not so bad. Don't worry. I think you'll do just fine. And now for the not so messy part...explanations and reintroductions." Ivan sighed and changed forms, receiving more gasps from those people who had before recognized Alfred.

"This is going to turn into a long night." he sighed. Then he glanced at Alfred. "But though our pasts may be full of darkness, our hearts are still good."

**I hope you enjoyed! Anyway, somethings will start happening later on, so stay updated as I continue. And tell me how you think I did. This is my first Hetalia story. So I hope it's enjoyable for the fans. :)**


	2. Secrets

**Chapter 2 anyone? I feel like this story has done pretty well so far, especially considering that I had no story line in mind what so ever and I just kind of made it up as I started writing. Oh well. Should be interesting in this chapter right? X3 **

**Oh, and a shout out to my first reviewer posting and calling themselves "READER". Lol a very original name. Anyway, thanks for liking my story and for saying it was great. :)**

Chapter Two: Secrets

If Alfred was nervous, which of course he was, no one could see it. Arthur of course could tell, but he stood off from him, gnawing on grass and listening. Ivan was sitting next to Alfred, pointing at people and playing that game he had played with Alfred for seven years: the memory game.

"See him?" Ivan asked, pointing at a young man with black hair pulled into a pony tail. "His name is Wang Yao. Do you remember him? And that girl." he pointed at a young woman with long brown hair. "That's Elizabeta. Do you remember her?"

"No." Alfred replied. "I don't remember them..." but he looked back up at Elizabeta again. "but...I think I remember something about her...I...I don't know...it's hard to think about it..."

"Well don't push yourself." Ivan warned him. "Don't worry. You'll remember. It just takes a little time."

"Yeah..." Alfred said. "But even though I can't remember why, I don't like how they're so scared of us."

"They're scared of me." Ivan said with a smile, though Alfred could tell the though pained him too. "Not you. They're not scared of you. I can't read their minds, but I think they're glad to see us. It's been such a long time after all."

"I hope you're right..." Alfred said. Ivan watched him a moment.

"Maybe you should try and talk to your brother. You remember how hurt he was when the two of you...parted." Ivan suggested kindly.

"I don't know..." Alfred said. "He seems so shy."

"He's always been that way." Ivan said. "You were the one who wasn't shy."

"Really?"

"Do you remember that?" Ivan asked.

"Maybe a little..." Alfred sighed.

But then they both looked up. Someone had just ventured a little nearer. It was a younger lady. She wasn't tall or overly short. She had pale skin, and she was rather pretty. She had long white hair and beautiful purple eyes. She jumped a little and backed off once she saw they were looking. But not far. She was still rather close, watching them. A few of their other friends had noticed her too, and they were watching her.

"Um..." Alfred said thinking. "Natalia right?"

"Very good." Ivan said with a smile. "Yes, this is my younger sister Natalia. You're getting better at this." Alfred noticed that Ivan was refusing to look at her, and was looking just about everywhere else. Natalia watched Ivan, shifting her weight back and forth as she wondered what to do.

"Um...um..." she ventured. Ivan still didn't look at her. "you are...a Werewolf?"

"I am." Ivan replied, still looking elsewhere. "One of them bit me when I was helping you and Yekaterina* to get away."

"But you don't seem like them..." Natalia said.

"Of course not." Ivan sighed. "I don't want to hurt people. Francis, even though I hate the stupid Vampire, helped me with that at least. I don't have the blood lust of normal Werewolves. I can control myself. And that's a good thing. I'm so huge when I change forms..."

"Do you hate me?" Natalia suddenly blurted out. It was such a surprising question that Ivan finally turned his eyes to look at her.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"D-do you hate me?" she asked, not wanting to back down. The question had obviously been bothering her for a long time. "The only reason you are what you are now is because of me. It was my fault. If I hadn't have frozen then you wouldn't have had to save me...and..." She felt tears in her eyes.

"Natalia..." Ivan said.

"It hurt right?" she asked. "Becoming a Werewolf hurts. And it was my fault. People hate you and it was because I was too stupid too..."

"Natalia." Ivan growled, making her jump. It sounded almost like a beast's growl. He softened his voice. "It's okay. It's not your fault. What happened would have probably happened anyway. So don't beat yourself up about it. I've never blamed you. If I would have been willing to blame you then I wouldn't have tried to save you. So don't worry about it okay?"

"B-but..." Natalia said.

"No buts." Ivan chastised her. He really was an older brother. "I said it's not your fault so drop it. Besides, I was more worried about you than about myself. You always get into trouble. But I'm glad to see that you've grown up into such a fine young woman." He smiled at her.

"You're hopeless." Alfred sighed, looking at Ivan.

"No you're hopeless." Ivan replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "I can remember everything at least."

"That's not my fault." Alfred said.

Ivan opened his mouth to speak again. But whatever he was going to say was cut off as he looked down. Natalia had crawled into his lap, burying her face into his chest. He froze, completely surprised. But then the same gentle smile that he had always wore appeared on his face again. He gently laid one hand on her shoulder and then laid his chin on her head. She started to cry again, sobbing. But she was happy. Even Alfred could tell that.

"It's okay." Ivan told her gently.

Slowly, the others all began to come a little closer. They were nervous, and still shocked at seeing the two of them again. But Francis simply watched with a smile. Whatever his reason for staying so long, Ivan was a little glad for it. Alfred looked up and noticed Matthew not far away. Their eyes met, and Matthew ventured to give him a smile. It was a sad smile, but a smile none the less, and Alfred felt his heart warmed by it. Natalia stopped crying.

"So, Alfred has no memories?" Elizabeta asked Ivan, watching Alfred sadly.

"No, not really no memories." Ivan replied. "He's starting to remember. But he did hit his head pretty hard. He shouldn't have survived that injury at all. But he did, even with severe memory damage. He's still having trouble putting names to faces, and certain parts of his memory are clearer than others. He's much better now." then he glanced through the crowd at Matthew. "But for whatever reason we found that he never fully forgot about his brother. He couldn't remember his name, or much about him at all. But he could still remember Matthew. It was interesting to say the least."

"So for seven years, he's been trying to remember things?" Wang asked, glancing at Alfred too. "Is he still...him?"

"Oh yes." Ivan said, sighing and rolling his eyes. "He's still Alfred F. Jones. He's not talking much now because he's trying to remember things about you. But he's still exactly who he was. Keeping him out of trouble is still a full time job. Hear me kid?" he glanced at Alfred.

"I'll let Arthur kick you again." Alfred replied. Arthur raised his head at the mention of his name and snorted, pawing the ground. He wouldn't mind that.

"See?" Ivan asked, shaking his head. "Still as mischievous as ever. And Arthur if you kick me I will bite you." Arthur tossed his head, but dropped it again to gnaw at the grass.

"And what's the deal with him?" someone else asked. He was tall with blue eyes and blonde hair laid back. He had been one of the humans who was supposed to go into that race. Alfred was pretty sure it was Ludwig and he was pointing at Arthur.

"I'm not really sure." Ivan said. "Arthur just started following Alfred around one day. Apparently Alfred has the ability to tame demons. And it was a good thing he tamed Arthur too...if you could call it that. He still has a mind of his own and at times he makes Alfred look like a little angel. He's a shape shifting demon. Usually, he likes his human or his horse form. But he has others."

"He's a shape shifter?" someone else gasped. He was also one of the humans who was supposed to be in that race. He was shorter, with short brown hair and brown eyes. Really, he was adorable for a young man, but his twin brother behind him looked pretty much the same except with darker hair and more of an attitude.

"Yes." Ivan said. "But for whatever reason he pretty much does what Alfred tells him to. I don't really understand the relationship between the two of them. It's a mystery. I've stopped trying. Arthur, why don't you change forms to something else? You're scaring them, even more than I am." Arthur changed into his human form, stuck his tongue out at the Werewolf, and then ran up to sit in the branches of the tree. Ivan shook his head and ignored him.

"Behave." Alfred sighed to the demon. Whether Arthur heard him or not, he didn't make a fuss.

"So," Ivan said, turning back to Alfred. "do you remember anyone yet?"

"I don't know. But I think I remember names." Alfred said. "I think you're Ludwig." he pointed at the tall blonde, who paused and nodded. "Those twins are...well one is Lovino and the other is...Feliciano or something like that."

"Good." Ivan said. "Both right."

"Then...uh...Wang and Elizabeta." he pointed at them. "Matthew..." he pointed at him. "Natalia, and Yekaterina." The last one was also Ivan's sister with short brown hair and large breasts.

"Good." Ivan said.

"Gilbert." Alfred said. He pointed at Ludwig's older brother, with white hair and blue eyes. "Honda..." he pointed at a shorter young man with short black hair and brown eyes. He had a sword on his hip. "uh... that's all I know."

"Still better than before." Ivan assured him with a smile. "You're still missing a few but you're doing much better."

"A few?" Alfred sighed. "There's a lot of people here." Then he laid back on the grass. "My head will explode if I keep doing this."

"No it won't. You're fine." Ivan said. "Do you remember anything about the people?"

"Vaguely." was all Alfred responded.

Arthur began to amuse himself by throwing small acorns at Alfred's face. They weren't big enough to hurt him, only to get his attention. Alfred sighed and knew that Arthur wouldn't stop until he came up the tree after him. Everyone moved away, even Ivan, because he started throwing acorns at them too. It was playful, and yet they didn't want to get hit with acorns. They moved away as Alfred stood and began to climb the tree to stop him. Everyone went to talk about all of the strange things that had happened to them since they had been parted. He could hear laughter drifting up through the wind. And suddenly, more than ever, Alfred felt like an outsider.

He grabbed Arthur, who instantly turned himself into a small white cat and began to mew at him playfully and bat his face gently with his paws. Alfred sighed, and without even chastising Arthur for throwing the acorns, he sat in the tree and began to stroke the cat's fur as he watched the people he once knew from afar. Arthur fell still and began to purr to Alfred, knowing that he was sad.

"_Aren't you glad to be back with them?" _Arthur asked.

"You know I am..." Alfred said. "It's just...I don't remember anything. And they're all so happy. I feel like I don't belong."

"_Of course you do." _Arthur said. _"You'll remember. Just give it time. Hey look. Someone's at the bottom of the tree."_ Alfred did look. It was Matthew. He was watching them nervously.

"Matt...?" Alfred asked, vaguely recollecting that the name Matt was one he had given Matthew as a nickname.

"C-can I come up?" He asked, barely audible.

"Yeah, sure." Alfred said, Arthur continued to purr but otherwise remained silent.

Alfred watched Matthew carefully as he climbed up the tree. He didn't want him to slip and fall. But he seemed fine, and agile too. He managed to climb up the tree, and Alfred reached down his hand and pulled him up onto a branch beside him.

"That's a long fall." Matthew laughed, trying to not be nervous.

"Ah don't worry." Alfred said. "I don't think we'll fall. Sturdy branches."

"Y-yeah..." Matthew said. There was silence between them for a moment, broken only by Arthur's purring. "Alfred..."

"Yes?"

"I've...missed you. A lot. I thought you were dead and I didn't know what to do..." Matthew said. Alfred was a little startled to see that he was crying.

"H-hey, don't cry." Alfred said. But Matthew didn't respond. He grabbed a hold of Alfred and hugged him tightly, still crying. Arthur mewed and moved so he wouldn't get squished. Alfred couldn't do anything but hug him back. "It's okay. It's okay..."

"I was scared..." Matthew said. "I didn't know what to do without you..."

"It's okay. I'm right here." Alfred said. He didn't really know what else to say.

But then Alfred paused and looked up. He heard someone scream and when he saw the shadow the creature had cast, he didn't pause. He jumped down from the tree and landed hard, gritting his teeth against the jar. But he was used to leaping from trees. Matthew yelped and grabbed a hold of him as it reared up. But Arthur changed back into his human form and cast a quick spell.

There was a deafening crack and then a reptilian roar. The next thing Alfred was completely sure of was that Arthur had managed to cast his spell, and that the tree had bent around them from the force of the creature's attack. It was snapped and broken, but Arthur's shield had kept them from being hurt. People were screaming and he heard Francis yelling and Ivan howling.

"W-what's going on?" Matthew cried, scared.

"It's okay." Alfred told him. "Don't be scared. We'll take care of it. Arthur, do you think you can mimic it?"

"I've never tried a Dragon before!" Arthur said.

"Well now's a good time to try!" Alfred snapped back.

Arthur paused a moment, and then leaped upwards, changing forms into a scaly, house sized four legged beast with bad like wings and one that could breathe fire. And yet still he was white. At least they wouldn't confuse him for the other dragon, who was blood red. Arthur leaped out and attacked the dragon, catching it by surprise, and Alfred crawled out from under the tree with Matthew still clinging to him.

"Damn Dragons..." Alfred sighed.

**Lol. Damn Dragons indeed. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and come back later to see the next one. Should be interesting. :)**


	3. Darkness Rising

**I have now discovered my special ability to somehow misspell things and then find them only after I've posted the chapter on this website. Oh well, at least I don't misspell a lot of things. Also, I am aware that Japan and China aren't called "Honda" or "Wang" because they are oriental, so they're called "Kiku" and "Yao", but I left them because it's fine since America's only now remembering their names. Also, the name in the second chapter with the asterisk (*) by it is there because Ukraine doesn't have an official name given to her by the person who wrote Hetalia. This name, and a few others that will have asterisks (*) by them too, are all from different Fans who gave them these names. Thanks for understanding, and I hope I didn't steal anyone's ideas. I just found the names on a website, so I don't know where the names are all from. But if they're yours I'd just like to thank you, even if I can't name you. **

**Also, shout out to "keysharocks"! Thanks for the review and the words of encouragement! Sorry I haven't posted many stories in a while. I was at a youth convention in San Antonio for my church youth group. If anyone was there, you probably never even saw me, considering there was over 25,000 people there from all over America and from some other countries too. Anyway, I hope you'll all enjoy this next chapter. There's not much else to do now but write and update stories.**

Chapter Three: Darkness Rising

Alfred knew that he had to do something to help. He was trained to fight. It was his job. But, everyone was nearly panicked, and if that wasn't already enough of a disadvantage, Matthew wouldn't let go of him. He was terrified. He probably though he was protecting him from getting hurt again or something. But that was silly. Alfred was too smart to get hurt again. However, Francis and Ivan had already joined the battle. The two of them were terrifying by themselves. Then there were the two massive fire breathing lizards who seemed intent on tearing each other apart. And then there were the people. They could fight. Alfred could see it in them. But they were used to fighting small werewolves and small groups of Vampires that were less organized than the other group had been. Nothing like this. They were trying to be calm. But it wasn't working.

"Matthew..." Alfred said.

"No!" His twin cried. "I won't let you get hurt again! You can go out there and get hurt! I couldn't take it!"

"Matthew!"

"Listen to me for once!" Matthew cried. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Matthew!" Alfred growled. It was a strange sound. He'd never spoken to anyone that way, but it at last got Matthew's attention. "Listen. I'm not helpless anymore. I've been trained to fight monsters alongside monsters. Besides, Arthur wouldn't let anything happen to me. That demon's prideful and he protects what he marks as his, and he thinks I'm his now. Got it? But that's not what I'm doing right now. I'll join the battle, but only after I can get everyone to stop freaking out. So you need to be calm, alright. And tell everyone else that too."

"O-okay..." Matthew said, a little surprised. "You're kind of strange. You don't remember us, and yet you still talk to us like you might."

"Of course I remember everyone." Alfred said. "It's just that I have to find those memories first. Now, go over there and be a good boy alright?"

Matthew paused at those words, and a single memory popped into Alfred's head. In it, he could tell that he was dying. He couldn't hear anything now, and even the werewolves had turned and thought that he was as good as dead. Matthew had run over, completely heart broken. But he just kept repeating those words: "go over there and be a good boy". Over and over again. Those words were like a strange trigger. He could see it in Matthew's eyes. He nodded once, and then turned and ran over to the others, shushing them and trying to calm him. His small voice seemed to work wonders with them. They were a little surprised by the reassurances coming from his mouth, when usually he was so shy. But now they were calming. Alfred nodded to himself as he drew one of his blades. He needed to rejoin the battle. He needed to help Arthur.

He was aware that the demon could take care of himself. He knew that the demon was powerful, and being a shape shifter, he could easily turn into something else if he needed to. However, he felt an odd need to join the battle. Arthur had accepted him: out of all of the warriors in those grounds trying to tame him, he had chosen a little boy with no memories. He couldn't understand it. And out of all of the creatures that he could have possibly confessed love to, again him: a fragile human boy. He could hardly see why. He couldn't see anything that he could possibly give to the demon that would make him fall in love with him. Ivan had once mentioned something about them being kindred spirits, two creatures that were so like each other that they needed to be together. Francis too had said that perhaps they were soul mates, two creatures that, despite many differences, were drawn together by fate. The only thing that Alfred was truly aware of, was that he didn't want to lose Arthur. He was one thing that he did know was true, and one thing he cherished. And he had a fear of losing him, like all of the memories he didn't have.

Alfred launched forward, dashing across the ground towards the two lizards. He didn't pause to see if anyone was watching him. There was no time. He simply knew that he had to reach Arthur. Ivan and Francis passed him, circling the red dragon and trying to wear it down. However, the dragon seemed most preoccupied with the demon. Alfred ducked under the sweeping tail of one of the dragons. He thought it might have been Arthur's, but he couldn't be sure. There was not really time to think, only to react. He reached the base of Arthur's tail, where he had reared up again to snap at the dragon. He leaped upwards onto the demon's tail, climbing up with one hand and holding the blade in his other hand far away from Arthur's back.

Arthur knew it was Alfred. No one else could be that small and run up his back with such ease. He knew Alfred's touch. It always sent a thrill through him. But now it was accompanied by another emotion: fear for his safety. What Alfred had said to Matthew was true. Demons were extremely protective of what they had claimed as their own: be that people, land or even treasures. It didn't matter how small the threat was to it, it was viciously handled. Arthur once again felt that need to protect enter his blood. It was his birthright. He had to protect Alfred. It was as simple as that. His senses sharpened as he felt the boy crawl ever higher. His gaze became steely and unrelenting. And he snarled. The dragon itself even paused as the demon snapped at it with new ferocity. Alfred had to pause a moment to try and keep from being thrown off, not daring to try and fight yet.

Arthur too, knew that Alfred could take care of himself. He knew that he was fast and able, especially for a human. But he was still just that: a human. And that meant that he was one of the most breakable of all of the races. One false move could mean that he would break forever. And Arthur couldn't stand that idea. Like Alfred was afraid of losing him, Arthur was afraid to think of Alfred gone forever. He was such a sweet boy really, and a lot like him. But it wasn't only this that had made him scared to lose him. A dark secret haunted his past, one that he hadn't had the courage to tell Alfred. He feared that he would leave if he knew it. But worse, he feared that he would fear him. He didn't want that. He loved Alfred dearly. It was a strange idea, but he had instantly fallen in love with the boy the moment he saw him. He had feared that at first and kicked him, but the boy surprised him. That too, was a dark secret in his past, and one he feared to tell.

But he wasn't thinking of that now. No, he was thinking of something else all together. How he could protect Alfred from the two ton fire breathing lizard in front of him. It had just noticed the boy, and its hard eyes had narrowed. It snarled and turned to snap at him. That angered Arthur. Nothing should ever do that. The dragon pulled back suddenly as its snout met two sharp rows of teeth. Arthur grew even more fierce. He wouldn't let anything touch Alfred. He'd already been hurt once.

Arthur could still remember after a week that he had met Alfred that the boy had still been badly hurt from that attack. He fell into a bad fit as Francis had called it, the first of unfortunately many. Alfred's injury had been serious. He knew that. But he hadn't realized how bad it was until this happened. It absolutely terrified the young demon. He had been fine the day before. Then suddenly he was in a bed with crippling pain, severe blood loss and was unable to move. He remembered trying to talk to the boy when no one was looking, calling to him softly. But he could never get a reply.

For four years, Alfred had suffered from those strange attacks, including a very scary one where no one had been there to help. No one but Arthur. The demon hadn't known how to help him, and simply laid there with him as he silently went on in his ordeal. He had spoken to him softly the whole time, laying the head of his horse form down on his shoulder as he had quaked in horrible pain. He could still remember that feeling of helplessness, the feeling of Alfred's fingers gripping his mane tightly, so tight that it hurt. But he hadn't minded. He encouraged it, because he knew it was helping the boy in the only way he could: emotionally. They stayed there for a day, miles and miles away from the clan because they had ridden out there and Arthur hadn't wanted to try and move him and end up making the pain worse. A single rouge Vampire had found them, having nosed the blood that was gushing from a wound in his side, but he never made it ten feet. He discovered, too late, how angry an overprotective demon could be.

After he recovered, Alfred seemed to trust the demon, something that Arthur hadn't felt from anyone in a long time. And that too scared him. He didn't want to betray that trust. Not again. But he was spell bound by his eyes: blue and pure like a lake, and just as empty. They were magical. They could calm the beast in him that he had come to fear. And for that reason he returned day after day. The other tamed demons mocked him for being too tame. But they soon stopped once they realized just how much the boy had tamed the demon. They too realized, that Arthur had the need to protect him.

But the thought ate away at him. He knew that he loved Alfred, as much as he had tried to hide it. He knew that he couldn't avoid it forever. But he was afraid of Alfred's reaction. You see, humans thought that it was only right if humans fell in love with humans. But most other races, including demons, didn't put much value in who fell in love with who as long as it was pure. So, once Arthur was sure that Alfred's attacks had passed and he would have no more, he had brought him again away from the clan to tell him. He took him to a beautiful place, filled with a stream and trees. A few faries had even come out to see what all the fuss was about. They could tell in an instant.

Alfred had been perplexed at first. Arthur was prancing around almost like a show horse one minute, then dashing off like a nervous colt the next. He tossed his head and raced, trying to make up his mind if he should ask or not, all while the little faries danced and giggled, telling Alfred how fortunate he was and encouraging Arthur to do it. So he finally turned and very quietly told Alfred that he loved him. It went absolutely silent as even the faries waited to see what Alfred would do. He had been surprised, and shocked. He couldn't see why Arthur would ever fall in love with him, but he also knew that it meant that Arthur would do anything for him. The thought unnerved him at first. What would he do with that kind of power? He had been silent for minutes, thinking and starring at the demon. Arthur thought about backing away, about disappearing into the forest. But he couldn't move under those eyes. Then, for whatever reason, Alfred laughed and told him that he was being silly but he knew he meant it and that he loved him too.

It was a simple answer. But Arthur felt relieved all the same. He understood instantly what Alfred meant by it. And it made him happier than he had felt in a long time. He jumped around then, feeling foolish, but needing to be foolish at the same time. He bucked and trotted, all the while feeling Alfred's amused eyes on him. Then he had come over and laid by Alfred's feet again, feeling the boy lay his head and his torso against his powerful shoulders. They had sat there for hours in the silent company, and after that, Arthur had done almost anything that Alfred said and become very protective of him. Arthur knew that Alfred trusted him, and that he would never do anything with him, unless he asked. Because he knew that Alfred was a little twitchy on that subject. But, it didn't matter. He was happy again. And he'd be damned if he let anyone take that happiness from him. It was for that reason that Arthur snarled so viciously now, and not even Alfred could get him to calm.

This dragon was not going to so much as breathe on Alfred if he could help it. And he was doing a very good job with that. Alfred felt a little awkward on the demon's back now. The scales of the dragon's hide were very slippery and hard to hold onto. But he knew that he wouldn't fall. He was too sure footed for that. He waited until the red dragon's head came close. Dangerously close. He could see himself clearly in the inky blackness that made up the slit in the center of it's eye. And then he buried his blade into the creature's snout.

It pulled away howling, and Arthur instantly took the advantage to back away on all fours again, snarling like an angry cat and keeping himself facing the dragon at all times, where he could see him in case he decided to lunge at Alfred. With the demon on all fours again, Alfred found it much easier to stay on his back, and he could feel all of the raw power inside of the body of the reptile. Once again, Alfred felt humbled by the strange ability that Arthur possessed. He pulled out his bow and an arrow however, readying himself to take aim at the dragon again.

He could see the villagers now, still scared and watching nervously as if they could help, but calmer now and not panicking. Alfred was glad for that. He knew that they were scared. They would be terrified that they would get hurt again. They had only just learned that Alfred and Ivan were alive, and now they were scared that they would disappear again. But, they didn't need to worry. Especially not for Ivan. The werewolf suddenly launched at the dragon, his teeth sinking into its hide. Most werewolves couldn't brag of that, not even alphas. But Ivan was heavy and full of powerful muscle. He may have only been half the size of the dragon, but that made him faster and he was powerful. He snarled and dug deep furrows into the back of the dragon, making it scream in agony again and writhe to try and throw him off, unable to reach him with either its neck or its tail. But Francis dove in too, faster than anyone could follow, and cut several teeth from its snout before it could move.

It snarled as it at last managed to throw Ivan off and both he and Francis dove for cover as it slashed at them. Alfred took aim. The dragon was fire proof, inside and out. But you could make it not so. There was a single strange organ at the top of its mouth that allowed its insides to survive the devastating fire from its belly. Alfred and Arthur both knew that. They'd had to learn about all of the weaknesses of all monsters in order to fight them. And that was a lot. It was simple. Though no one knew how it worked, that small organ protected dragons from fire, even from other dragons. But, if you pierced it, the mechanism would fail. It was a small target inside of a moving creature however, and few people hit it. However, Alfred was a good shot, and he had a demon in the shape of a dragon on his side.

He waited as it thrashed, knowing that Arthur could feel him tensed for the shot. The demon crouched down, his tail twitching ever so slightly as if he might pounce at the dragon. However, he remained still, waiting to see what Alfred would do. In a few moments, Alfred release the shot. The arrow flew straight between the dragon's outstretched jaws and hit his target. The dragon screamed again, closing its mouth and forcing the arrow deeper in, insuring that it was damaged. The dragon turned towards them, opening its mouth a single crack.

That's all Arthur needed. By pure instinct from the body he now inhabited, he had drawn fire from deep in his belly. Alfred jumped quickly behind the demon's head to protect himself from the withering inferno. Then the dragon was doused in flame from the demon's belly, a bright, hot flame that made even the sun's rays seem chilly in comparison. It reached hungrily through the creature's mouth and down its throat, tearing away at it. The dragon squealed, a horrible sound, and then at last fell dead. Arthur bathed it in flame for a few moments more and then ended the fire with a definite snap of his jaws. He snarled a little as Ivan and Francis carefully inspected the dragon for any signs of life. At last, Arthur felt relief. He had protected Alfred, even if he hadn't really needed it. He could relax a little now. Alfred reached forward and gently scratched beneath the demon's chin, making the demon make a deep purring noise in his throat.

"Nice thinking." Francis called up to them. "Not bad for your first hunt Alfred."

"_I hope you're not too tired though." _Ivan said. _"It looks like we've still got some plans to make with all these people here."_

"Actually, Alfred, Arthur." Francis said as he came closer. "I need the two of you to do some scouting for me, alright? We need to see if they're anything else."

"Got it." Alfred replied simply as he slid to the ground. An instant later, he felt a soft snout touch his back, and he climbed onto the white stallion's broad shoulders, putting his bow away.

Again, feeling the jolt, Arthur reared up and pawed the air. No one said anything. It was expected almost. Demons were a proud race, and they loved to show off, even if it was only a little. They didn't know however, that he wasn't trying to show off. But, he turned and raced away, glad to be free once again. In moments they were out of sight in the forest. Arthur was glad when he felt Alfred's tense muscles relax. He loved the freedom as much as Arthur did, and he loved that they were alone again and could run where they wanted. It had taken them nearly forty five minutes to reach this town, and they had wasted a whole day there. But now, they were free again. Arthur ran on, until at last they had reached a tall hill. There, Arthur stopped to survey the surrounding area. Alfred slipped from his back.

Alfred could tell that Arthur was tensed. He could feel it in his quivering sides. He was thinking once again about his mysterious past. Alfred never asked about it. He knew that the past could be painful, all to well. It made Arthur a little sad. Sometimes he wondered if Alfred really trusted him, enough that he could ask any question without fear that he would hurt him. He knew most people feared that demons would hurt them. But then, once again, he felt Alfred's hand slide over his twitching neck, up to his mane where it rested a moment, then began to slowly stroke it. Once again, he felt glad that Alfred was there. That he would listen, that he would understand. Suddenly, he knew he had to tell him everything. The guilt of holding back had hurt him for too long. He changed back to his human form, and Alfred paused, feeling his hand on top of the shorter boy's hair. But he was trembling, and took his hand in both of his, laying it against his face.

"Alfred..." Arthur said. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do. You know that." Alfred replied, a little surprised.

"But would you still love me, after I tell you this?" Arthur couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. Why would I not?" Alfred asked, worried now. Arthur never sounded unsure of anything. "What is it? What's wrong? Are you Okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Arthur said. "But I have to tell you something..."

"I'm here." Alfred said gently. "I'm listening. What is it?" Slowly, he gently led Arthur over to sit down, pulling his head against his chest. Arthur shuddered but didn't pull away.

"I'm not a demon. Not really." Arthur said, he felt Alfred pause, surprised. Arthur suddenly began to cry a little. It wasn't a loud sobbing. It was quiet. But it was heartbroken all the same. "I was born human." he continued, unable to stop himself from saying it all. "My family was full of magicians. And I was learning to become one too. Me and my older brother were best friends. We did everything together. But our sister was jealous and hated how he had fallen in love with the boy that she liked. She asked me to spy on him. And when he found out he was furious. It hurt, that I had betrayed his trust. I couldn't understand it. But he got mad at me. It was just supposed to be a simple changing spell. It was only supposed to change me into a horse for a little while, but something went wrong. He said the wrong words, used the wrong spell, maybe something distracted him. But he turned me into a demon, a horse demon."

He paused. Alfred hadn't moved. He was still and silent. He was simply listening. Arthur couldn't tell if he was upset at him for hiding the past, or if he was simply surprised. He felt horrible, but had to say everything now.

"He didn't mean it. I know he didn't mean it." Arthur sobbed quietly. "But it hurt. It hurt so much and I was scared. I kicked him, hard. I don't know if he was badly hurt or not. I only know that I could feel the instincts of a demon awakening inside of me. They were dull, but it scared me all the same. I ran away, and I could hear him calling after me but he couldn't catch me. No horse could keep up. If I had known any better, I would have stayed there, where they could have reversed it. I know he's got to feel horrible, if he's even still alive. I ran on, confused and in pain and I didn't know where to go. But then a few _Thergos _found me." He felt Alfred shudder at the use of the name. _Thergos_ were horrible beasts created by a human not unlike homunculi. Except they didn't have mercy. They had the instincts of a beast and they were often created only by dark sorcerers to do their dirty work. They were feared by beasts of every kind. "Yes. They're horrible. They took me to their master, and she forced me to become not only a real demon, but she made the change irreversible. But she didn't realize how much she had to change me to do it. She also awakened the ability to shape shift in me. Because of that, I was able to change into a mouse and slip away unnoticed."

"That hurt too." Arthur said. "It hurt worse than even what my brother had done. But I wasn't even in the same country as my family anymore. I was far away, and how could I go back now that I was this freak? So I ran further still. I became wild and reckless, and I became spiteful like a demon too. I would hurt people because I could. So a witch of a nearby town cursed me. She said I would fall in love with some small creature that needed my help and I wouldn't be able to hurt people anymore. I ran away again, thinking I would fall in love with something silly like a fairy. I was afraid. But then I ended up in that corral somehow and I saw you for the first time..." suddenly, he then understood why Alfred had stood off from him a lot. It was because he couldn't understand how he could fall in love with him. And now that he did, he suddenly though that he would think him foolish and a liar and worse, that he would feel dejected because he fell in love with him because of a silly spell. He grabbed Alfred into a hug and sobbed quietly into his chest, suddenly afraid of losing him.

"I love you Alfred!" Arthur said. "I really do! Curse or no curse, I fell in love with you and I don't ever want to lose you! I couldn't' stand being alone again. You're the only person who's ever managed to calm the beast that was put inside of me. I don't want you to hate me! I'd do anything if it meant that you'd still love me! I'd do anything for you! I wasn't born a demon, but I'm one now, and I wouldn't change that because it meant that I met you! Please..." he suddenly got very quiet. "Please understand..."

Alfred paused and looked down at Arthur. His eyes were squeezed shut and he wouldn't look up. He was trembling in fear as well as wracked with quiet sobs. Alfred suddenly felt sad for the boy. It had to have been hard for him to deal with so much at such an early age. The two of them were alike in one thing: one strange accident had changed them forever. He suddenly felt a wave of affection for the small boy again. He finally understood why he was so mysterious, why he was different from other demons. Why he had fallen in love with him. He also understood why he had hidden his past from him for so long. It was a sad tale, one that was difficult for him to tell. But he felt privileged that he had told it to him all the same. He still had his head in his hands, cradled against his chest. So he simply leaned down and kissed Arthur's head. It was gentle. It was kind. It was caring. And it made Arthur pause.

"Of course I understand." Alfred said gently. "And of course I still love you silly. Thank you for telling me about your past. It must have been hard to lose all of that. But whatever happened then, you're still my demon."

"You're not mad at me for not telling the truth?" Arthur asked quietly.

"How could I be mad at you when I don't even remember MY past?" Alfred asked.

Arthur slowly managed to stop crying, feeling suddenly grateful to Alfred again that he had understood. But he had always understood. He had never once turned him away or told him he was a fool. He never got angry at him, not really. A little fed up sometimes, but not angry. He never tried to make him go away. And not once had he ever not loved him. Alfred held him gently until he calmed down. Then Arthur suddenly felt very foolish for not having trusted the boy. He suddenly knew that Alfred loved him too, no matter what, and that he always would.

Slowly he looked up at Alfred, who was watching him carefully. But suddenly, Arthur wanted to do something that he'd never before dared. He was suddenly scared again. How would Alfred react? What would he do? Certainly, neither of them had ever had much practice in this. He had seen his brother do it once before. Very carefully, he pulled Alfred's arms into his hands and leaned in. Then he gently kissed him.

Alfred froze once again, surprised. But Arthur's grip was gentle, and he knew that if he felt uncomfortable and decided to pull away then the demon would let him. But he felt his heart flutter in uncertainty again, like it had when Arthur had first trusted him with his confession. Alfred suddenly realized, that he didn't mind. Not anymore. He didn't mind that Arthur wanted to kiss him and hold him. It didn't matter to him. Because he realized, he wanted that too. Slowly, he closed his eyes, trusting Arthur for a moment, and he relaxed. Arthur felt relieved once again, glad that Alfred had allowed him at least this.

Then they both broke apart. They knew that they didn't really have time for this. They were supposed to be looking out for any more creatures that could prove a threat. But they had stopped for a moment. Neither of them considered it wasted time, but they knew that they needed to move now. Arthur stood and turned back into his horse form, tossing his great mane as he turned to move away. Alfred stood too, and went in the opposite direction. They trusted each other, and knew that few creatures could sneak up on them unnoticed. They would check up on each other later of course, but not for a while. They didn't expect to get into any trouble.

Alfred carefully moved through the underbrush, gazing out through the trees on either side. On one side, he could see the area towards the village where everyone else was waiting for news. On the other, he could see the full expanse of the forest, and a few times the creatures that moved within. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were no monsters as far as he could see. He knew that meant little, but he didn't see any signs of them.

He paused. That was strange. He was sure that he saw many tracks of many creatures here. From harmless monsters to ones as large as that dragon earlier. He wasn't sure why they would be all hiding now. He wondered if Arthur had noticed the stillness too. Not even the creatures of the forest moved. It was if a great hush had fallen. Even creatures of the forest would move when a werewolf was present. Or humans too. But now it was silent. Then, too late, he realized it was because there was something else here: something horrible.

He started to turn back, to run back to Arthur and tell him the danger they were in. But he didn't have time. Something grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his side before he could tense to grab his blades. Then he felt claws at his throat, and he froze. This thing had a human body, and yet it had claws. It was a man, and a powerful one. Alfred couldn't have wriggled free if he had been able to try. But the creature forced him to lean his head back until it was on his shoulder, and he gasped when he saw its eyes. They were deep crimson red, the color of the blood moon, and just as dull and lifeless. He knew instantly that there was no way he could get away, and he felt fear grip him for the first time in a long time. This was a _Thergos. _

He didn't dare cry out. He didn't dare move. Those eyes were full of malice and they were truly evil. He didn't want to look at them. He couldn't stand them. He closed his eyes, trembling helplessly. He heard it laugh. It enjoyed his fear. It always enjoyed fear. Its loved to scare things. It inspired fear and it knew it. It had a tough, strong body and the strength to snap Alfred in half in a few seconds. It had short black hair that brushed his shoulders, and tickled Alfred's face. He looked like he could have been a white man, but Alfred wasn't too sure. Thick black talons came out of the tips of his fingers, a sure trap for any that he caught from behind. No one escaped from his talons. He was a skilled hunter. Thus he had been called, Hunter. But though he could have killed Alfred in an instant, he didn't.

"Shh, shh little rabbit." he said to Alfred gently. "It's okay. I'm not going to kill you. I need you. You see, I've been hunting for a while, but I could never quite catch my prey. Then I found him here by accident. And now, I know he weakness little rabbit." Alfred gasped suddenly as he realized that this was one of the _Thergos _that had caught Arthur all those years ago. He shuddered and felt tears in his eyes. How could he have been so foolish? "Yes little rabbit. You are the perfect bait for him. Go ahead and cry. It'll only work in my favor. Don't worry. You'll be coming with him this time. I thank you for taming our little demon. Our mistress has missed him very much. Maybe you could help her as well?"

"Help her with what?" Alfred asked. He winced as the talons contracted a little on his throat.

"You'll see little rabbit." He said. "You'll see. But be quiet now. Be a good little rabbit, be silent. I need you to be quiet for me. Or I might just change my mind and kill you."

Alfred knew he had little choice. He couldn't fight this thing. No one trained to fight _Thergos_ because no one escaped them. _Thergos_ was a word that came from the language that faries once spoke. It meant, roughly translated: silent death. And they certainly were that. Alfred suddenly felt like a fool even though he knew that this thing would have caught him no matter what he had done. But he felt like a fool all the same because now he knew that Arthur wouldn't leave. He would want to protect him. He always did. He knew that Arthur would recognize this thing and that he wouldn't leave him alone with it. Alfred was too ashamed to open his eyes. But he heard a nervous snort, and the _Thergos _pulled him closer to his chest, making him yelp without meaning to.

Arthur certainly did recognize this _Thergos_, and he scared him. He knew that Hunter was a ruthless murderer, and he was a terrible jailor. But now worse, he had caught Alfred while he was foolish enough to turn his back on him. He side stepped a little nervously, but froze abruptly when Hunter's claws contracted ever so slightly. Alfred...

Now that he was so close to losing him, Arthur could suddenly appreciate how beautiful he was. No amount of sun could ever seem to darken his skin. He seemed small and strangely delicate, and yet he knew that there was strength in his limbs. But now he was scared. He was trembling. Arthur could see it from here. And he hated it. He was terrified, but his instincts were beginning to awaken in him again.

"Ah there you are Arthur." Hunter said with a purr. "We've all missed you. Who would have guessed that you would be a shape shifter eh? But now I've got your little rabbit. He's quite adorable. I can see why you keep him so close. But now, if you want him to live, you'll come with me."

If he had met Alfred before he had gained the instincts of a true demon, he would have gone with him. But now he felt rage inside of him. A little rabbit? He had seriously just called HIS Alfred that? That was absolutely the last straw. He wouldn't stand for that. Hunter didn't know that he was a demon now through and through. He also didn't know, how powerful his shape shifting abilities had become. He knew he had to be quick. If he wasn't, he would hurt Alfred. He knew he had to be powerful. If not, then he couldn't protect Alfred. He knew he needed to surprise Hunter, if only so he would let him go. And he knew just how to do that.

Alfred opened his eyes for a moment, and their eyes met. That's all the encouragement Arthur needed. He knew that he had to protect him. Because now Alfred had realized just how much he had loved him. Arthur snarled, then changed forms. Hunter prepared to slit the boy's throat. That would teach Arthur to disobey him. But he froze suddenly and yelped, stepping back in surprise. Because instead of looking at a white horse, he was now looking at a white haired version of HIMSELF. The demon snarled and launched forward, striking Hunter hard and making him jump back to defend. Then, before the _Thergos _ could recover from the shock, he quickly changed once again into a dragon. He roared once and then scooped a very startled Alfred up into the talons of his front paw and took off into the sky. Hunter paused only a moment, and then laughed.

"So then, you are a demon now." Hunter said. "Very well then, I'll just have to think of another way to catch your little rabbit. Arthur, you've just given me a chase I can't resist. And I will have him."

Then Hunter turned and left, still chuckling to himself. He had been bested today. But he was a patient hunter. He wouldn't mind waiting another day for his catch. He would catch that boy, and he would make Arthur suffer in a cruel way. Slowly, Hunter disappeared again into the forest.

Alfred blinked suddenly, still unable to stop himself from trembling. He felt very grateful to the demon now that he had managed to free him from the _Thergos_. But he was also surprised. He hadn't known that Arthur could transform into a _Thergos_ himself. But he also realized that without him, he never would have tried. Arthur did love him very much. Alfred knew that. And he loved him enough to brave the claws of a creature like that again to save him. He suddenly realized that he'd have to become much better. He'd have to recognize when a _Thergos _was around so he could flee next time. And maybe even try the impossible: learn how to fight it.

Arthur swept into a cave, making the inhabitants, a few small bears, run away. Alfred knew it would be days before they would return. They wouldn't want to after being woken up by a very agitated dragon. Arthur carefully landed and laid down, still clutching Alfred in his claws. Alfred remained still for a moment. He could feel that he was quaking, in rage or fear or both. Then, very carefully, he reached forward and laid a hand on the dragon's quivering jowl.

Arthur instantly transformed into his human form, all the while still clutching at him. He pulled him close to his chest, and Alfred didn't dare try and pull away. He knew Arthur was too worked up for that. He probably would be too scared to let him out of his sight for days now. So he laid his head on Arthur's chest while he waited for him to calm down.

"I can't believe that he found me..." Arthur said, his voice choked with emotion. "I can't believe that he almost...that he almost..."

"I'm okay." Alfred said. "He didn't get me. You protected me. I'm okay." Normally, that would have been enough to calm Arthur. Like most demons, if you assure them that they've protected what they've claimed then they calm. But not now. Not after seeing Hunter again. He kissed Alfred's head again, somewhat surprising him. But Alfred knew that he had been scared, truly scared, that he would lose him then.

"I'm sorry Alfred." Arthur said. "I was a fool and he almost took you from me. I've lost so much to him already."

"I know Arthur, I know." Alfred said, trying his best to soothe him. "And I'm here for you okay? We were both foolish back then. But it's okay now. Everything's fine. So don't worry."

"No, you don't get it." Arthur said. "I can't ever let you out of my sight again now. Not now that he wants to catch you. He's just that kind of person. He's called Hunter for a reason."

"Then I'll become better." Alfred soothed. "So he can't catch me. Okay? I'll become better. Listen. Since you can transform into a _Thergos_, I think it would be best if I learned from it. Okay? I could learn to be able to tell when he was there, and you could learn that too. Then if we have the chance, I can learn to fight them. Then I won't be so helpless next time. Okay?" Arthur looked down at Alfred, and now he could see just how dangerously close he was to crying. But it was a hope now that they had. If Alfred could learn to sense him, then Hunter couldn't catch him, not nearly as easily.

"But not now." Arthur said.

"No, not now." Alfred agreed. "You're too worked up for that. It's okay Arthur. Just relax. I'm here, okay?"

Slowly and very gently, Alfred leaned back, laying down on the ground and gently coaxing Arthur to follow him. Then, when he was laying down and still, he coaxed Arthur to move his hands so that they were on his arms and not his back. Then Alfred laid there, until at last Arthur laid down too and laid his head down on Alfred's chest. The beating of his heart was soothing. It reminded him that everything was alright for the moment and that Alfred was still alive. But it was also a painful reminder of how fragile humans were. And he knew that fact all to well.

**O.O**

**Enter evil villains? Or at least one of them. This chapter was never meant to be this long, but I fell in love with the story that I began to create and couldn't stop. I hope you did too! Please continue to read and enjoy!**


	4. Fate, Oh Fate!

**Another Chapter anyone? Here we go! I like this story a lot. I'm going to update my others soon too, but I couldn't resist creating yet another story. Especially not one like this. Well, here it is, the fourth chapter of ShadowWalkers. Enjoy! XD**

**Shout out to these people! Thanks for your encouraging words, and thanks for saying my story is great! Most of my stories wouldn't be possible without you, my fans! So thanks to elizabeta, LittleMew, and ProNation! I'll keep updating as soon as I can for you!**

Chapter Four: Fate, Oh Fate!

Alfred paused a moment. They'd been at this for hours. The sun had set now, and it was dark out. That was fine, because neither of them really needed their eyes to do what they had to. But they could both see fine in the dark. Arthur also paused uncertainly. He was now in the form of the white haired _Thergos_ and he was nervous, more than anything, that he had scared Alfred again. The creature's taint was an evil one, and many times that night when Arthur had barley shifted he'd made Alfred wince. Alfred trusted him of course, and he knew that he wouldn't hurt him, but it still made him nervous all the same. He hated being this thing. He hated how scared it made Alfred, even if it only made him scared by instinct. But Alfred knew that his was his one chance to find the weaknesses of a _Thergos_ when one wasn't trying to kill him.

So far, it had seemed impossible. He had memorized the taint of the _Thergos_ when one of them walked the land. He could tell when one was close and now he wasn't afraid of having Hunter sneak up on him now. For a few hours, that's all they had worked on. Arthur kept drilling him until he was sure that he could sense a _Thergos_ when it was near and run away. They were fast, but no faster than a Vampire, and Alfred was already an expert at avoiding them. _Thergos_ were not very different in their instincts than a Vampire, only that they didn't need to drink blood. They were strange. And powerful. Alfred could find no weaknesses, even though he knew there had to be one. Sorcerers never made a powerful beast -unless of course you counted Arthur himself as an exception- without some fail safe way to dismantle their creations. It would have to be something so obvious, so simple, that it could be recreated every time that someone wanted to make one. It would be something that every _Thergos_ had in common so that if a Sorcerer came across a rouge one, they would be able to defeat it. But, since it was so simple, it was very hard to guess.

And a _Thergos_ was a very sound beast. They had powerful bodies, strong limbs and tough skin. They could be stabbed of course, but since they were created by magic and not really out of any living thing, they would have to be completely dismantled to stop moving, something that no one would want to try with an angry _Thergos_. Also, they'd have to find out what made them move and instruct others how to dismantle a _Thergos_ in the same way. That too was impracticable. They'd have to find some way to make this crazy scheme work and it would take too long. That was Alfred's problem now as he looked at the copied version Hunter's body. How could he hope to defeat THAT?

However, he wouldn't let Arthur see that he'd already given up on defeating him. Arthur was already worked up with Hunter having TOUCHED him. He was nervous and he had already made it clear that Alfred was not going to leave his sight. Alfred knew that he would relax a little once they were back with Ivan and Francis who could keep an eye on them, but right now he was on edge. He didn't want Alfred to get hurt, so he was perfectly still, perfectly calm as Alfred searched the powerful body for anyway to destroy a _Thergos_. So far, it seemed hopeless. That was, until something caught Alfred's eye.

It was the claws again, those talons. They made it impossible for the _Thergos_ to close his hands all the way without injuring himself. They were powerful weapons and really strong, so they let him grab his prey from behind and not allow for escape without serious injury. They were wickedly curved, though the curve was only slight. That made them even more sinister however, because everyone knew that a _Thergos_ could use his claws with deadly accuracy. Alfred took the demon's hand in his, carefully inspecting each claw. However, when he touched the claw that was on the thumb, Arthur instantly pulled his hand away, as if in an instinctive response.

The quick motion slit a small cut into the palms of his hands, and he yelped a little. Arthur made a quick whining sound in his throat, sorry that he hurt him. But Alfred ignored it and took the claw in his hand again. This time, Arthur didn't pull away. Alfred tested it, pausing in surprise.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Does it hurt bad?"

"Arthur." Alfred said suddenly. "This claw is weaker than the others."

"What?" Arthur asked, surprised as much as Alfred was. It didn't seem possible. The claws were the _Thergos_' most powerful weapon.

"It's weaker." Alfred replied, looking up at the demon. "I can feel it. It seems as tough as the others, but it's not. It's brittle inside.

"Of course..." Arthur suddenly said. "No one would think to attack the hands of a _Thergos_, they'd be too worried about the claws. That way, no one would find this fault by accident, but it was still easily reached if the Sorcerer needed to kill it."

"Right." Alfred said. "The weakness in this claw is slight, but not enough that I could break with my hands. However, with enough pressure and a strong enough blow it could snap. And you pulled your hand away when I touched it. It was as if your body knew this weakness. It's probably the weakness that could kill a _Thergos_."

"Maybe." Arthur agreed. "But, it's still difficult to hit, with the _Thergos_ jumping around and trying to grab you from behind. We'll have to be careful with it."

"I know." Alfred sighed. "But at least we know its weakness. We're probably the first people in the world who can boast that when we haven't made a _Thergos_ ourselves."

"Alright." Arthur said. "Enough with _Thergos_ for now. You're exhausted. You need to sleep. We can finish this later when we get the chance. But we'll need to rest for a bit and then go and find Francis and Ivan. They could probably sense Hunter after a while. And we haven't gone back. They'll be worried about us. I hope nothing happened to anyone there."

"They'll be fine." Alfred said. And he believed it.

Arthur changed into his human form again. Only now did Alfred realize that this form was what he had looked like before. Arthur gently took Alfred's hands in his, carefully inspecting the wounds. They weren't deep. In fact, they were nothing more than a few scratches, and they were hardly worth worrying over. But Alfred knew that Arthur wouldn't leave him alone until he was satisfied that they weren't dangerous. At last, Arthur quickly bound them so they wouldn't get infected and then released Alfred's hands. Alfred sighed, but didn't say anything. He knew that there wasn't much that he could say. But then he laid down so that Arthur would stop bugging him. Besides, he was tired.

Arthur laid down too, wrapping his arms around Alfred's waist and pulling him tight against his body. The floor of this cave wasn't too comfortable, but they'd slept in worse places before. Besides, Alfred knew that it was really only his company that Arthur needed right now. He sighed again, though this one was a soft one of content. And Arthur smiled a little at it. He pulled Alfred a little closer, glad to feel him up against his chest, safe, where he belonged. He laid his nose into his hair and breathed in his scent. It was a strange one. It always smelled of human, but still it too smelled of the deep riches of the forest floor. It too, had a sweet scent in it, a slight scent of flowers of some kind, what kind he couldn't be sure, but it was one that seemed strangely familiar. It gave him a pretty smell, one that Arthur thought suited him very well. It was a strange scent alright, one that always seemed to cling to him no matter where he went.

Alfred sighed, letting himself relax. He always felt safe when he was with Arthur. He just seemed to have that effect on people. And he knew that he could relax because Arthur wouldn't let anything happen to him. He was kind too. Alfred knew that well. He laid one of his hands on one of Arthur's for a moment, letting him know that he was here for him, in whatever way he could be. Arthur smiled into Alfred's hair a moment before laying his face on the side of Alfred's, where he could feel the boy smile a little. It was a close touch, one that they enjoyed. Arthur knew that his arm on the ground would fall to sleep eventually, but that hardly seemed to matter. He was just glad to be here again. At last, he felt Alfred completely relax as he fell asleep, breathing evenly. Arthur smiled a little again as he too closed his eyes.

* * *

Alfred woke first. It was daylight out now, and they were still touching like they had fallen asleep. Alfred knew that they would need to move soon. Francis and Ivan would be getting worried, and they would come out to look for them soon if they didn't go back. It was very difficult to avoid a _Thergos_. They all knew that very well. They would be worried that something had happened to them. Ivan cared for the two of them greatly, even if he didn't always admit it. And Francis was responsible for them. Alfred wasn't sure if he liked them or not, but he never let anyone die if he could help it. They were probably really worried by now, and he could almost bet that all of his old friends were too.

Alfred sighed. Yes, they'd have to go soon, and he wasn't sure if he was ready. He liked to be in Arthur's arms, but out there they couldn't be together like that. In their other world, they had to be pretty much separate. Neither of them minded, not really, but it was good to be like this too. However, he knew that time was short. He shifted just a little. That was all it took.

Arthur was awake in a moment, and he instantly began to worry over him again. Alfred knew that this behavior wouldn't stop for a while. Usually, it would annoy him. But not now. Not now that he knew the dreadful creatures that had stalked Arthur's past. He sat still and silent as Arthur worried over him, waiting for him to calm again. Once he was sure that Alfred was alright, Arthur sighed and laid a gentle kiss of Alfred's forehead. Alfred offered him a gentle smile, hoping that he would see it let Arthur relax. It did, and Arthur returned it.

"Good morning." Arthur said gently.

"Yes, good morning." Alfred said with an amused smile. "Now, come on. We need to leave soon. Ivan and Francis will be beside themselves with worry."

"And this won't make them feel any better." Arthur said, motioning towards Alfred. Arthur hadn't been hurt hardly at all, though his right arm hurt from where he had struck at Hunter with his claws. However, Alfred had developed a large and nasty looking wound on his chest, not unlike a bruise, but darker. It made his chest hurt, and it had spread now onto his arms and into plain sight. They would worry over that. And there were a couple little scabs on his throat too where Hunter's claws had been. If Arthur had worried over Alfred like a mother hen, Francis and Ivan would be ten times worse.

"It hurts a little." Alfred shrugged. "But I've had worse."

"Yeah, a little." Arthur said, not convinced. "I can see that it hurts pretty bad. You can't hide that from me. And you won't be able to hide it from Francis either."

"I know." Alfred sighed. "But let's go. If we're going to get chewed out, we might as well go now while we're not too chicken to listen to it."

"I don't think they'll be mad." Arthur said. "In fact, I think they'll too worried for that. Alfred, we not only came close to a _Thergos_, but we ESCAPED from it. Don't you think that will worry them?"

"I guess." Alfred said, shrugging again. "But come on. We might as well move now."

Arthur sighed but let Alfred go, letting him stand. Then he too stood and changed into his horse form. Alfred checked his right front leg, but though it seemed to pain him a little bit, it didn't seem to be an issue. Alfred quickly scanned the surrounding area for danger, but nothing seemed wrong. All the creatures of the forest were out now too. So he swung up onto Arthur's back and patted the horse's neck gently. Arthur felt the spark again, but this time, he didn't rear up or paw the ground, afraid of jostling Alfred's wound and hurting him worse. However, he did toss his head and snort once. Alfred checked to make sure he was on good, then tightened his legs around Arthur's chest and took his mane into his hands.

Once Arthur felt that, he knew that he was ready. But he didn't race off. Not now. They were still cautious after meeting the _Thergos_. He carefully stepped forward, scenting the area. He found nothing, so he started off at a slow trot, watching the surrounding country for danger. He didn't dare run now. He was too nervous to enjoy the freedom it gave him anyway. Now, he only wanted to make sure that they wouldn't end up getting hurt.

The trip back to town took much longer than it had taken to get to this point the day before. But they were cautious now. They didn't want to take the risk of missing something like they had before. But everything was normal now. It truly seemed as though Hunter had moved on to some other prey for now, far away. Still, they didn't dare take the chance. They were both greatly relieved when they saw the town of Herbert come into view once again. Only then did Arthur pick up the pace a little bit, trotting quickly now to reach the destination.

No one was out yet, and they slowed again to a nervous walk as they peered around, searching for the inhabitants. They suddenly realized that the town had been abandoned. Cars and bikes had all been left as they had been during the night. Houses were abandoned, and nothing inside had been stirred, as if the people were going to come back soon. Francis must have been serious about moving everyone. This whole town had been evacuated last night at some time. They knew that a large group of humans would move slowly, though they would be covering a surprising amount of ground since they were scared of the _Thergos_ that had been stalking the land. They'd also probably be worried about the two of them. But both of them also knew that Francis and Ivan wouldn't have dared to leave them here.

They knew they were right because within a few minutes, they suddenly found themselves face to face with Ivan. He reached up and stroked Arthur's muzzle worriedly. Arthur didn't try to pull away or kick at him as he would have normally done. He was too worried for that. Ivan was looking Arthur over, carefully checking him. He noticed almost instantly that his leg was hurt.

Alfred paused, because he heard Francis snarl. It made him jump, and made Arthur snort nervously, but at least he hadn't walked up on them this time. He reached up, and with no effort, took Alfred by the arms and lifted him off of Arthur's back. Alfred paused, not daring to pull away from the Vampire. He was very nervous. Alfred could feel it as his claws curved ever so slightly. He was gentle, and he was checking him over carefully. He noticed almost immediately the wound on his arms, and he snarled as he realized that it went all the way across his chest.

"Alfred! What happened?" Francis snarled. Alfred knew that it wouldn't do any good to hide anything from the angry Vampire.

"We ran into a _Thergos_. And he grabbed me." Alfred said. Instantly Ivan and Francis snarled.

"How did you get away?" Francis demanded.

"Well," Alfred said, a little surprised. "Arthur turned into a _Thergos_ and surprised him so he let go. Then we ran..."

"He did what?" Ivan gasped. Arthur snorted a little and then changed into the _Thergos_ to show them. They both snarled so he changed quickly back into the white horse.

"Does it hurt?" Francis snarled to Alfred.

"N-not badly..." Alfred replied. Francis snarled again, growling. He could tell that Alfred wasn't telling the truth, but also that the boy was badly shook up and he was nervous. He let the comment slide.

"I want both of you in the infirmary when we get home. No questions asked, got it?" Francis snarled. "We need to make sure you'll be okay."

"Y-yes..." Alfred said. Arthur nervously tossed his head. Ivan sighed.

"Well," the werewolf said. "we've evacuated the town. They're all heading back now with several members of our clan. Everyone's worried about you too. You know how fast word travels in the clan. They'll be glad to know you're okay."

"But, we found something else out." Alfred said, still not daring to move in the Vampire's arms as he thought. Francis looked down at him.

"What is it?" Francis asked.

"The weakness of the _Thergos_." Alfred said. "It's the claws on his thumbs." Francis and Ivan seemed a little surprised by this information. But then Francis smiled, hiding his true face once again.

"That's valuable information." The vampire said. "Well, we should get going. I bet you too are tired. It shouldn't take us long to get to the clan. Everyone else is probably there already. But, you'll need to stay where we can see you, okay?" they both nodded. "Good. Then maybe you can show those friends of yours around then and gain some more memories, huh Alfred?"

"Y-yes..." Alfred said.

He picked Alfred up again and put him back on Arthur's back. Then Ivan turned back into a werewolf and turned to lead them on. They started moving away, all the while, Francis smiled at them. Then however, when he was sure they weren't going to look back, his face fell, and a look of concern crossed his face.

"So, something's happening again is it?" Francis asked. "Something evil once again stalks the land... something I don't know if the ShadowWalkers can take now. But, fate seems to play a strange game with those three. Who knows what will happen now?"

He turned at last to catch up with the other three, knowing that they would soon be turning to see what had kept him up for so long. He didn't exactly believe in fate, not after such a long life. But he did believe that there was something strange about Alfred, Arthur and Ivan. It was a strange thought. But then again, the world was strange. He knew that well.

**Well, there it is! XD **

**It wasn't a very long chapter, it was more of like a filler arch thing. But it was fun to write. I hope it made you feel better, because it made me feel better. XD**

**Anyway. This story will get better after a while. Right now, this story is only starting. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoy this story! **


	5. Pasts Collide

**Here we go again! It's time for another chapter! I was bored this morning and decided to start another chapter. Hopefully this one will be a little longer than the last one. But these poor characters that Ivan and Alfred knew a long time ago and only just now met again (aka their friends) will probably not adapt well to this new change. At least not at first. Should be fun right?**

**To ProNation: Yes, there is some foreshadowing there. I won't kill Alfred off, not yet, though he might get a little sick for a while and worry the crap out of everyone some more. And yes, eventually, I plan to have Arthur destroy a few THERGOS and maybe even have Alfred kill a few. Hunter also will die, but a character you might not suspect will kill him. ;)**

**So you'll have to wait a little while for that. **

Chapter Five: Pasts Collide

Alfred winced, and Arthur was watching him nervously. They had made it back to the clan, and Francis had dragged them immediately to the doctor so he could look at them. The Doctor was understandingly nervous with the demon sitting next to Alfred on the bed. If he ended up deciding that he had hurt Alfred too much during the check up, well, it wouldn't end good for him. The Doctor was a Nymph, a wood Nymph. Because of his great knowledge of the forest and what could heal just about every race, as well as his knowledge of magic, he had been made the Doctor. He had changed his name once he arrived because no one could pronounce it. So he changed his name to something much more simple. He called himself Sedah now. He seemed to be small and fragile, though everyone knew that he was a powerful creature. His skin was a dark brown, like that of a tree's bark, and his hair was an emerald green. His eyes were a dark, cherry red. Overall, he was a beautiful Nymph.

Arthur was now in his human form. The Doctor had told him that he needed to be careful and keep off of it, so that meant that for at least a day he wasn't allowed to turn into anything that needed four legs to walk. Now, he had moved onto Alfred. The mark had spread now, and it was much bigger. It also hurt badly, enough now that Alfred couldn't bluff about it anymore. He winced again as Sedah pulled up his shirt to look at it. He spared one glance at Arthur, but other than that, ignored him. Francis was standing in the room too, mostly to assure Sedah that Arthur wouldn't try anything. But once he saw how large the wound had gotten he snarled again, sounding like a very angry wolf. Really, he was only nervous and worried for Alfred's health, but it was an evil sound all the same. Sedah paused when he saw it, and gently touched it.

"This wound was made by the touch of something evil." He said. "Something made from dark magic. What was it?"

"It was a _Thergos_." Francis snarled. Instantly, everything seemed to fall into a hush at the use of the name. "The two of them managed to escape, but barely."

"You should be thankful that they were smart enough to escape at all." Sedah said. "Most of the time, we'd have to bury anyone. These boys are lucky Francis. VERY lucky."

"I know that." Francis snarled, still nervous. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad." Sedah sighed. Arthur nervously shifted. "But, it will heal. It shouldn't take very long at all. A day at the most. But it's drained him. He's very tired. I can imagine that it hurts too. He'll be fine though, once I've treated it." Everyone seemed very relieved to hear that, especially Arthur.

Alfred tried his best to sit still as the Nymph began to quietly intone a spell. It was a strange spell, one that even Arthur with all of his knowledge of magic couldn't replicate. It called upon the names of the forest and the river, the wind and the flower, and just about every other living thing in the forest. It called upon them for protection and healing, and to cast out the evil that had been laid upon Alfred's body. Of course, it was also in another language, the language of the wood Nymph, for every kind of Nymph had different languages. Alfred found the spell irritating, but knew that he couldn't pull away or it wouldn't work. Tiny tendrils of energy seemed to touch his chest and sting lightly, drawing what it could out of the wound. It only took about two minutes, but it seemed like two hours to Alfred. Then it was over, and Sedah inspecting the wound again.

Already, it looked much better. The area that the wound had covered previously had already shrunk to about half of it's size, and Alfred seemed like he could stand someone touching it much better now. His complexion had already seemed to improve, though he still seemed tired. He wasn't as pale anymore, and he wasn't trembling nearly as bad now. Francis though still made sure to quickly check the boy himself though, knowing that his eyes were keener than even the Nymph's. He saw nothing that could make the wound grow worse again, and at last he sighed.

"Alright. It looks much better now." Francis said. "You should be fine."

"Just try and take it easy okay?" Sedah asked. "Word gets around fast here. Everyone will know soon. So try not to do anything that will make it hurt worse."

Alfred nodded, and Francis opened the door to let them back out. Both of them stood and walked out, with Arthur close behind Alfred as if he might suddenly become deathly ill. Alfred knew he was still worrying excessively over him, but that wouldn't change for a while. It was day once again, because it had taken all night to get back, get across the huge grounds where the clan's base was, to the Doctor, and then to wake the Nymph up and have him check the two of them. Nymphs were notoriously hard to wake up at night. But Alfred knew that Sedah would be very glad that the demon was out of his office again. Most demons didn't like to be fussed over. So the tended to create big messes where there needed to be none.

The two of them sighed as they made their way across the grounds once again. Alfred was scanning the crowd for any of his friends but he could see none. It wasn't surprising. Really, the grounds were huge and the clan was over four thousand strong from every type of creature you could think of. It was nearly impossible to find anyone in this huge mass. Of course, everything remained organized, and nothing ever got out of place or people had to face a very angry Francis. Still, it seemed amazing that so many races could be together in one place and not be trying to tear each other apart.

And still, even among this mass of people, everybody knew everybody. Francis made sure that they remembered names and faces and just about everything he could get them to about them. And there were newcomers all the time to replace those who fell in battle or decided to leave. The job was never ending, and yet it hardly seemed to matter to anyone who'd been here for long. It was obvious as the two of them made their way across the lawns of the clan, long trampled to dirt. They passed by a group of young humans that were training like Alfred had long ago, and on the other side was a group of Vampires and a single Werwolf. They all hailed them, but only Arthur responded with a quick nod. It let them know instantly that something was wrong and that they'd better not cross Arthur or they would feel his wrath.

The clan's grounds were surrounded on all sides by mountain faces, and the clan was strong. No one ever attacked them, though they still made sure to post guards. Some patrolled the skies. Some patrolled in the caverns deep underground. And then mountain trolls guarded the mountain faces. No one could get into here without a thorough check. They passed too, the pen and corral where Alfred and Arthur had first met. Young and old humans alike were trying their hand at taming demons. This is where Alfred noticed a few of his friends there. He saw Ludwig and Gilbert talking with a very friendly young elf, as well as nervously glancing towards the pen. He saw Feliciano and Lovino also nervously watching inside the pen. Inside the pen, is where he saw Matthew. A Vampire was talking to him and assuring him that mostly, it was perfectly safe. They must have heard that Matthew was Alfred's twin brother. And twins had a strange ability to mimic one another nearly perfectly.

Alfred turned and walked to the edge of the pen, which was a four foot high fence surrounding a ten foot hole that had been dug in the ground. The corral where the untamed demons were kept was also dug into the ground. Alfred leaned against the fence, careful to keep his chest from touching it. Arthur also paused, finally seeing what had caught his attention. He too leaned against the fence, silently watching. The others had all seemed to notice him now, and they looked at him. But he only smiled at them reassuringly and looked back inside the pen. Some demons were never tamed, and they were left to their own devices. But some of them were tamed, so that the humans here would have as good a chance of surviving as anyone else here.

"Ah, Alfred." the Vampire called up at him, smiling. Matthew nervously looked over his shoulder at him. "Good to see you here. And Arthur too. Maybe you'll give this little one some courage."

"Don't let him get hurt Terence." Arthur warned him meaningfully.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Terence replied.

"You'll do fine Matthew." Alfred said. "Just remember, they want to get out of here as much as you do."

"R-right..." Matthew said.

"Now," Terence said to Matthew like he had told Alfred so long ago. "some demons will take a while to tame. If you feel like you can tame a demon, then keep coming back until it tames. However, some demons will tame within a few minutes. Just keep watching them. You'll be able to tell, if you really can tame a demon that is. Don't worry. Now, turn around and pick one of those doors. There's a demon waiting behind each one. If you feel like you feel something from one of them, ask us to open it."

Alfred knew how that felt, to pick a door. Each was reinforced with steel powerful spells. One was huge, large enough to let an adult dragon through with no problem. One was small, only about the size of Alfred's hand. One was about average sized, large enough to let a horse through, which was of course the door that Arthur had come from. Then there was one somewhere in between the huge one and that one. Alfred knew how terrifying it could be to try and pick the right door. There would be doubt. He would worry that he would pick the wrong door and something horrible would come out that would try and kill him. However, Alfred had felt his eyes drawn repeatedly to one door in particular, over and over again. And Matthew's were doing the same. Lovino, Feliciano, Ludwig and Gilbert all walked over to where Alfred and Arthur were, nervously watching. Several people had stopped now and were watching.

At last, Matthew said something. Arthur glanced at Alfred, but he seemed perfectly fine with this. He wasn't scared for his brother in the least. A door began to slide open, the door large enough to let a horse through. It slid open slowly, as if it had a great mass to it. There was silence for a moment as the creature inside seemed to weigh its options of leaving or not. But them it tore through the door.

It was a snow leopard demon. That much Alfred could see. But its gender was impossible to tell from this height. It tore around the ring, leaping up to swipe at spectators. It could almost reach them too. It didn't dare swipe at Alfred though, or even within four feet of him. It could see Arthur for what he was, and knew much better than to try and test his patience. The leopard was huge, as large as Arthur in his horse form. It had teeth and claws, and wasn't afraid to use them. Then it turned and attacked Terence, even though the Vampire was quick and smart enough by now to dodge demons. Matthew seemed surprised at first, but he then broke out of his surprise.

He called to it softly, talking in calming, soothing tones. Alfred knew that he could do that well. He had always had the ability to tame things. The demon turned and snarled at him, circling him uneasily, but unable to not listen to the boy. It seemed to be regarding him, wondering what it should do. Matthew too was regarding the leopard. It was actually female. She was a pretty girl, and he made sure to tell her that. That seemed to surprise her. She liked the compliment, but she was uncomfortable in his presence, as if she could sense something about him. He told her about her past and spoke about his friends and his brother that were watching not far away. He told her about Alfred's ability and that he was his twin and they wanted to see if he could tame demons too.

Slowly, she inched forward, snarling at him softly. It wasn't threatening. Matthew could tell that, though he wasn't really sure how he could tell that. This boy was something different. He had seemed to spell bind her. She wasn't sure what to do. She paused, inches in front of him, and he stopped talking. They were simply watching one another. Slowly, Matthew reached forward. She snarled louder at him, and crouched, but didn't spring away or attack him. He passed his hand gently over her head, stroking the soft fur. She remained still for a moment, then suddenly her tail flicked and she rushed away to the other end of the pen, turning to snarl at Matthew again. Alfred and Arthur both smiled.

"He's tamed it." Alfred said simply to the questioning glances from the others beside him.

"It didn't take very long either." Arthur said. "It took you weeks."

"Yeah and you kicked me." Alfred pointed out. "You weren't very willing at all."

Arthur frowned but didn't respond. They all looked back into the pen, where the demon had begun to draw close to Matthew again. This time, when he touched her he spoke to her gently, and she didn't run away. People began to leave then, though Alfred and Arthur remained, even when the other four walked off to look at something else. They remained, watching. It was something strange to them, watching the two of them silently bond. That had happened to them too at one point. And there was something about it that seemed strangely magical to them. At last, her snarl disappeared, and Matthew smiled. He quietly asked her name, and she told him.

"Okay!" Terence said. "I think you've tamed her alright! Now, get on out of here."

He let the ramp fall down that led to the outside, and Matthew turned to walk away. He wasn't sure exactly what was supposed to happen, but she followed him dutifully. Like all tamed demons, she felt the need to be dutiful to her master. He walked up the ramp and smiled when he saw Alfred. He ran over to him and hugged him, careful to not hit him too hard and make the wound hurt. Alfred smiled at him and hugged him back. The demon watched the two of them carefully, and a little questioningly, until she saw Alfred's face. She realized instantly that the two of them were twins. She purred to the two of them, which sounded strange coming from such a large beast, and made a point to rub her head gently against Arthur's legs to assure him that she meant no harm. He frowned at her. He didn't like any other demon so close to Alfred, but he supposed he'd have to get used to it now.

"I did it Alfred!" Matthew laughed.

"I can see that." Alfred replied. "You did good."

"Her name's Sarai." Matthew explained. The Leopard demon carefully crept forward under Arthur's watchful gaze and rubbed her head against Alfred's hand. The two twins looked at her, and Alfred reached over and stroked the soft fur of her head.

"_Hello."_ She said. _"You seem like a sweet boy. Matthew told me a little about you. Is it true that you don't remember much of your past?"_

"It is." Alfred replied. "But I'm getting better. I can remember a little about Matthew at least. You seem like a very kind demon. But you're a good fighter. Watch over him for me okay? He's a little skittish."

"I am not!" Matthew cried, gently hitting Alfred's arm. Alfred smiled again.

"Are too." Alfred replied. "Besides, you'll have some time to learn about her."

"_I'll do my best to protect him."_ Sarai replied.

"Good then." Alfred said. "Come on Arthur, don't look like that. Come here."

Arthur frowned at him. He didn't like her near him, but he knew he couldn't chase her off without receiving Alfred's disapproval. And he didn't want that. Still, he wanted to make sure that she knew that he wasn't going to let her hurt him. Quickly, he changed into a Drake, which was a small dragon like creature that stood on two back legs and had no arms, only wing arms. He fluttered onto Alfred's shoulder, for her was now no larger than a cat, and yawned. It made Sarai hiss, because she didn't know that he was a shape shifting demon. Alfred stroked the demon's head, making the small creature make a purring noise and rub his head against Alfred's face.

"Um," Matthew said. "do you mind if we come with you two? I mean, I haven't seen you in a while Alfred, and I want to..."

"Of course you can Matt." Alfred replied, rubbing his head gently to mess up his hair. "I don't bite. Watch out for Arthur though."

"_I'm not that mean."_ Arthur replied, sounding hurt. _"You act like I'd kill him."_

"Come on." Alfred said, laughing.

He turned and led onward towards a place where they could sit down for a while. Matthew smiled and followed him. He really wasn't that different now that he thought about it. He couldn't remember everything, but that was okay. He would remember soon. He just knew it. It would take a while, but then again, a lot of things could take a while if you took the time. They carefully made their way towards a tree, one that was fairly far away from anyone else. Usually, it was occupied by a few elves or fairies, but now they were away on a mission. They all sat down there. Alfred leaned with his back against the tree. Arthur crawled down into Alfred's lap and curled up into a ball and began to purr gently. Matthew sat down next of Alfred and Sarai laid her head down on Matthew's lap, though she was careful to not touch Alfred.

"You know, I probably should should have seen it coming that you'd tame a demon." Alfred said.

"Maybe." Matthew said laughing. "But you tamed one first."

"_I'm not really a demon..."_ Arthur said. Everyone paused and looked up at him, surprised.

"What?" Matthew asked.

Arthur sighed. Then once again, he quietly told everyone his story. Arthur wondered how Alfred would respond to him suddenly telling everyone his own story. But Alfred didn't mind at all. He was glad that Arthur had gotten it off of his chest. Now he was fine with telling people about it without being scared of how they would respond. He was glad that Arthur's heart was healed a little. And he was glad that he wasn't scared. It took a few minutes to tell the whole story. And the whole time both Matthew and Sarai listened silently. And then when he was finished, they were still quiet for a while.

"I'm sorry." Matthew said. "It must have been hard on you."

"_Perhaps."_ Sarai said. _"But you act like a true demon. Your life may have been hard, but now it is much better. And you have something very special." _Matthew looked at her, surprised, as Arthur snarled at her. _"Oh come now. You can't hide it. You love this boy."_

"Really?" Matthew asked. Then he looked up at Alfred. "And do you love him?" Alfred glanced up at him. Then he smiled.

"Yeah I do." he said. "We've been together for a long time. And he's never let me down."

"Well good then." Matthew said, smiling. "I'm glad that you've found someone. I know that you'll take good care of him Arthur."

Arthur looked away, suddenly acting very shy. Both the twins began to laugh, and even Sarai seemed amused. However, then Arthur suddenly noticed something. He was looking towards the mouth of the valley that the clan was sitting in. His eyes had suddenly noticed something strange. There were a few people there, outside of the border about six miles. The Drake's eyes were strangely strong. He suddenly froze, because he recognized them. He knew it was impossible, and yet at the same time he knew it wasn't. Alfred looked down at him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"_We have to go help them..." _Arthur said.

"Stay here." Alfred told Matthew. Before he could even respond, Alfred stood, and Arthur turned once again into a horse. He ignored the pain in his leg as Alfred swung up again into his back.

Arthur tossed his head and took off quickly. He ran onwards, leaping easily over the people that got in his way. He dashed quickly through the last of the clan's grounds, then out onto open ground. Out here, he could easily pick up speed, and he did. With another toss of his head, he poured on the speed. Alfred glanced behind them, but no one was following. No doubt, they thought they were doing what they usually were. Alfred didn't know where Arthur was going or why, but he knew that he had to go with him. He pulled out his blade, readying it.

"What is it?" Alfred yelled to the demon.

"_It's my brothers and my sister." _Arthur replied. _"They're out here fighting a dragon."_

"What is it with dragons here lately?" Alfred sighed, knowing that Arthur couldn't hear him.

Arthur was nervous. He hadn't seen them in years. There could really only be one reason that they were out here, they were looking for him. The last time he had seen him, he was little more than a child, little more than a colt. How would they respond to seeing him now? After everything that had happened? He didn't know, but he was suddenly glad that Alfred was here with him.

They had reached them. Arthur gave an angry snort and launched forward. The three magicians paused uncertainly. They all looked strangely like Arthur, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The oldest brother was tall and handsome. The other brother who was still older than Arthur was not quite as tall, but not much older than Arthur either. The sister was a beautiful young woman. None of them had eyebrows like Arthur, but that was fine with Alfred. That hardly mattered. The dragon was huge, easily twice the size of the one they had fought before. So far, the magicians had managed to wound it, though not really that badly. It snarled at them.

Alfred knew of one other way to kill a dragon. You'd have to bury a blade in its eye. That was difficult, especially since it was connected to about two dozen razor sharp teeth. But, it was a risk that they were going to have to take. Alfred didn't have his bow and arrows. He couldn't hit it with enough accuracy to take it out. It would take a lot to fight it off.

Arthur snorted and pawed the ground, circling the dragon to get it to watch him. His brothers and sisters may have been powerful magicians, but even he knew that they didn't quite know how to defeat a dragon. Alfred raised his blade, preparing to point it at the dragon. The dragon snarled and circled like a cat ready to pounce. He could tell instantly that this was no horse but a demon. The magicians however, hadn't noticed that yet.

"Get out of here!" the eldest brother cried. "You'll only get yourself hurt!"

"I know how to fight dragons." Alfred said. "Besides, this is no horse. It's a demon."

The three magicians seemed surprised, and almost immediately, Arthur saw recognition pass over his eldest brother's face. But he didn't have time to pause and ponder it. If he stopped now, that could mean his death. Or worse, Alfred's. That was something that he wouldn't stand for. Once again, he felt the overwhelming need to protect enter his veins. He tossed his head and snorted angrily at the dragon.

"Wait! Stop!" the Eldest brother gasped. "You're going to get hurt! Arthur!"

The other two gasped now as they too realized it. This was their youngest brother! They suddenly felt very afraid for him. They had hurt him once and spent years trying to find him. And now that they had found him, they wanted nothing more to protect him. But then they suddenly were in for the biggest surprise of their lives. Arthur changed forms, into a snarling white dragon. They all gasped, and Alfred nearly slipped trying to adapt to the sudden change in surfaces that he was sitting on. The other dragon snarled, backing away slightly. But they were close enough now. Alfred raised his blade, and threw it.

The dragon screamed, tossing its head back and forth as it tried to remove the blade from its eye before it did any damage. But Arthur turned and whacked the dragon with his tail, making it topple backwards. He snarled at it until he was sure that it wasn't going to move again.

Then Arthur looked at his siblings. They were still absolutely stunned. But Arthur let Alfred slip down onto the ground, then changed into his human form. He heard them all gasp again. He knew that they recognized him. It was impossible not to.

"W-what happened to you Arthur?" his sister asked.

"What didn't happen?" Arthur sighed. "I'm a shape shifting demon now. And it's irreversible. That much I know. Strange things happened."

"Arthur..." Alfred suddenly said. Arthur looked at him, as did the magicians. They all paused. He had frozen, not unlike a rabbit does when it's spotted a fox. Arthur cursed himself in his mind for thinking of that. He hated that Hunter had called him a little rabbit. "He's here."

"What?" Arthur gasped. "Now?"

"We have to go!" Alfred cried. Arthur instantly obeyed, changing into a large unicorn.

Unicorns were not as pretty as one might think. Some people thought they were horse like beasts. But they weren't actually, they only vaguely resembled horses. They were fast though, and usually gentle beasts. They had no eyes, but they hardly needed them. Alfred quickly jumped onto his back and motioned for Arthur's siblings to follow. They did, confused. But they realized by now to not ask questions.

"What is it?" The brother who wasn't much older than Arthur asked.

"It's a _Thergos_!" Alfred growled. "Run Arthur!"

He took off, his only thoughts vague and disjointed. He knew only this. He had to protect Alfred. He couldn't let him get hurt. And he had to run back to the clan. A _Thergos_ may be powerful, but even they couldn't fight off that many monsters at once. The demon was quick, and he was glad for that. Because he could smell it now. Coming too close for comfort.

**Random cliff hanger anyone? I don't really know why Arthur ran into his siblings so early on in the story. But I thought it might be good to start reuniting everyone after such a long time. Besides, with so many THERGOS around and whatever else is posing such a large problem for our heroes, they need all the help they can get. **

**So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, kind of random though it was. I wanted to give Matthew a demon. I thought it might make him seem a little cooler. Matthew needs to be cool. :)**


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